Above: Side view of the Browniekar. Photo: Theresa St. John
Whenever I travel, I always want to include a museum that speaks to the area. Who founded the town? What interesting inventions do they claim to have made? What sort of businesses thrived there—and who was in charge of them? In New York State, there are said to be more than 843 museums and exhibitions! I, for one, want to see and experience them all.
I’d heard about the Newark-Arcadia Historical Museum in New York, which boasted several collections and emphasized the people and history of that part of Wayne County. The village is about 35 miles southeast of Rochester and 48 miles west of Syracuse. At the time of the 2020 census, its population was 9,017.
Although I was interested in seeing their exhibit on the Erie Canal, their collection of Sarah Coventry Jewelry, the information on roses from Jackson & Perkins Co., and the museum's coverage of spiritualism and the Fox sisters, to name a few, one other find stood out above them all: the Browniekar and its homecoming.
Firstly, I’d never heard of the vehicle before. When I learned it was built in Newark, New York, for only one year, in 1909, and came equipped with a single-cylinder 3.5 horsepower engine—a car designed for youngsters—an actual automobile—I was intrigued! And when I realized there were only a few hundred produced, only two still in existence here in Wayne County, and perhaps another out in the Midwest, I had to jump in my car and drive three hours to see it.
Omar Motor Car Company, a subsidiary of Mora Motor Car Co, the parent company, made the Browniekar. At the time, the average US worker made .22¢ an hour and earned an annual income of $400-$600. So, imagine the sticker shock when the price tag for your child’s ‘toy’ starts at $100 and jumps to $150 soon after! Most adults didn’t even own a vehicle back then!
And the ‘production line’ back then wasn’t the same as today. The design and production of the Browniekar was ‘station built.’ Each occupied a space in the factory, and instead of the car moving down the line as it was being built, the workers moved to the vehicle and did their part in putting it together.
The museum sits on a corner and was once a small church. It’s a charming stone structure with several rooms and thousands of historical artifacts. We walked in and were welcomed by docents who were working that day. There was a buzz in the air. Even though many visitors came to learn more about the history of the Newark-Arcadia area, unaware of the Browniekar discovery and its long journey home, it didn’t take long before a group of us gathered around this bright red beauty set in the corner of the main room.
It was on a small platform with a skirt around the bottom, and red velvet rope kept it from curious hands. You could hear a few gasps as we took in the beauty and shared the excitement of seeing the car in the town where it was built.
“How did this all happen?” people asked. “How did you guys find it, and how did it make its way back here?” others echoed.
Steve Heald, a lover of automobiles and owner of one of the two existing Browniekar models plus a full-size Mora Touring Car in dark green with black fenders, jumped in. “A museum member and car aficionado happened to be thumbing through the Hemmings Motor News magazine and spotted a small ad announcing the sale,” he told us. “It belonged to the late Bradley Austin of Olympia, Washington. He had a small collection of cars which were being sold to settle his estate.”
The museum announced in May 2023 that the Browniekar was for sale and expressed its desire to bring it home where it belonged. “We need your help.” Sometimes, that is all you need to say in a close-knit community like theirs.
“It was amazing,” Steve told us, shaking his head and gesturing toward the car. “There were so many generous donors, people interested in the engineering aspect, and others enthralled with the idea that we could have an actual, historically significant piece of Newark here at our museum.” A fund-raiser was organized, and by the end of that summer, it had the $24,000 needed to purchase and bring the Browniekar from Washington to New York.
In June 2024, after a full year of waiting, a private unveiling and celebration were held for the donors and museum board members. Five members of the Mora family traveled from Ohio to attend the ceremony. I can only imagine how they felt, but I am sure they were very proud of their forefather, Samuel H. Mora, who founded the Mora Motor Car Co., which operated in Newark from 1906-1911.
I was there the next week to see the child’s car, and I’m confident the excitement will continue for many years.
“My wife and I have always held firm the belief that things should go where they belong,” Steve said to the group of us standing there, admiring the Browniekar. “In this case, the entire community agreed. It was an emotional occasion, that’s for sure.”
Planning a visit to Newark-Arcadia Historical Society? Here’s what you need to know:
Saturday 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm all year
Wednesday 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm in July and August
Although there aren’t tours listed per se, docents are happy to walk you through each room, share the area's history, and answer any questions you might have.
Parking is on the street and seems ample.
There is an accessible side entrance.
Admission is free, but there’s a donation box in the lobby by the door. I always donate a few dollars; it helps keep our museums open and our history alive.
120 High Street Newark, NY 14513
Phone: (315) 331-6409
https://www.newarkarcadiamuseum.org/
For the latest updates or any changes to the schedule, be sure to check the museum’s website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
People often look for an experience rather than material things to spend their money on. Especially today. Museums are an excellent way to immerse yourself in a place, a time period, a fascinating inventor, or an exciting trailblazer’s story. And they’re affordable; some are even free. They’re educational and engaging, let you meet interesting people, and can truly become more of a fluid, moving community rather than a static building filled with ‘stuff.’
So, whether you’re looking for a museum and want to soak up every single thing in every single room (like I do) or you visit a museum with one thing in mind (like I do), I hope you’ll search for a museum near you and spend a few hours immersing yourself in all it has to offer. Something tells me you won’t regret it.
* * *
Theresa St. John is a freelance travel writer, photographer, and videographer based in Saratoga Springs, New York. She is interested in WWII history, museums, food, slavery, the Underground Railroad, interviewing interesting people, restaurant reviews, local travel, anything ghost-related, and the Erie Canal, among other things. Theresa loves to travel and sinks her feet into the moments of places she visits. Her photography essays, along with the written word, help tell the story to readers everywhere.