Green Team of Clay Center

1909 C.R. Welsh Rambler (newspaper)
1909 J.H. Hibler Longford Maxwell (newspaper)
1909 S.W. Engler Ford (newspaper)
1913 I.R. Watts Garage 6th Street & Lincoln Avenue Buick (newspaper)
1913 W.W. Smith & Sons Studebaker (newspaper)
1913 L.P. Schrader Auto Company Overland-Saxon (newspaper)
1913 S.W. Engler Chalmers Motor Car (newspaper)
1918 Harner Motor Company 6th Street & Lincoln Avenue Buick-Cadillac (phone book)
1918 Norquist Maxwell (later became Plymouth) (phone book)
1921 W.W. Smith & Sons 518 Lincoln Avenue Dodge Brothers' Motor Car (phone Book)
1921 Woodbury & Marshall's Garage Dort (phone book)
1921 Elkins Motors 811 5th Street Lexington- Hupmobile (phone book)
1921 Laflin Garage Liberty (phone book)
1922 Laflin Garage Chevrolet (phone book)
1924 Marshall's 603 5th Street Overland-Hupmobile-Willy's Knight (phone book)
1925 Schrader Chevrolet-Nash (phone book)
1926 Norquist Chrysler (phone book)
1926 Weethee Hudson-Essex (phone book)
1927 Marshall's 603 5th Street Chrysler-Plymouth (newspaper)
1929 Harner Motor Company 6th Street & Lincoln Avenue Buick-Desoto
1929 W.W. Smith & Sons 518 Lincoln Avenue Marmon-Graham Paige
1929 Universal Motor Company Ford (newspaper)
1930's-1953 W.W. Smith & Sons 518 Lincoln Avenue Chevrolet-JohnDeere
1938 Jevons Studebaker Oliver Farm Equip. Court Street (Picture)
1940's Marten's Court Street Kaiser Frazier
1940's John Mouse Motors Ford
1950's Hanson Motor Company Kaiser Frazier
1945's-1952 Eiznhamer 621 Lincoln Avenue Studebaker
1946 Bradley Motor Company Hudson (newspaper)
1947 Red-Okeson Motor Company 610 6th Street Dodge-American Motors (newspaper)
1947-1950 Meyer Auto Sales South 6th Street  Pre-Owned
1949 Cobb Motors Pontiac-Cadillac (phone book)
1950's L.O. Norquist 516 Grant Avenue International
1951 Livingood Motors 619 Court Street Oldsmobile  (phone book)
1951 Walter Merten 423 Lincoln Avenue Dodge-Packard (phone book)
1951 Thompson-Primrose 811 5th Street Ford (phone book)
1951 Frick Implement 219 Court Street Overland Willy's
1951 Packard Ultra Motors 426 Court Street Packard
1952 Frick Implement Company Jeeps-Jeep Trucks-Case-Massey Harris (phone book)
1953-1998 Skinner Motors 621-630 Lincoln Avenue Chevrolet
195?-1957 Atkinson Motors Pontiac Cadillac (phone book, Obituary)
    In 1957, Floyd Atkinson moved to Minneapolis, Minn., and was the general manager for Pentel Pontiac and Anderson Dodge until retiring in 1974.  Floyd Atkinson's nephew, Rod Atkinson, is currently the Finance Manager here at the Green Team in Clay Center.
1960's Mattingly Motors GMC-Buick-Chrysler-Dodge-Plymouth
1970's Primerose Motors 811 5th Street Ford
1970's Pyle Motors Chrysler
1980's Siebold Motors 615 W. Crawford Street GMC-Pontiac-Oldsmobile-Cadillac
1985-1998 Skinner Motors 630 Lincoln Avenue Chrysler
1998-2005 Dick Edwards 630 Lincoln Ave-802 W. Crawford Street Chevrolet-Buick-Pontiac-Oldsmobile-Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Plymouth
2006- Green Team of Clay Center Inc. 802 W. Crawford Street Chevrolet-Buick-Pontiac-Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep

Photo is from the John and Irene Jensen collection.

Harner Motor Company--- Cadillac, Buick, and  Pontiac Dealers.

Photo is from the John and Irene Jensen collection.

W.W. Smith and Sons--Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicles Dealer in the early 1920's.  Now it is Orr's Furniture City.

Photo is from the John and Irene Jenson collection.

W.W. Smith and Sons--- Chevrolet and John Deere Dealership.  Through the garage door on the right side of the picture was an elevator that would lift the automobiles to the second floor where their service shop was.  Notice the two Texaco fuel pumps and air stand along the curb.  It later became Orr's Furniture City.

Photo is from the John and Irene Jensen collection.

Firestone Tire Shop

L. O. Norquist International Dealer, Tractor & Truck Parts & Service---Later, Coop Grocery Store occupied the building.  Next it was Gregory's Thriftway until 1999 when the Dollar General Store moved into the building.

Photo is from the John & Irene Jensen collection.

Marshall Implement and Garage Company in the 1930's.

Photo is from the John & Irene Jensen collection.

Marshall Implement and Garage Company---Chrysler and Plymouth Automobile Dealer at the corner of Fifth and Grant Ave. Once the largest Chrysler Dealership in Kansas.  The location is now Bud's Tire.

Page is from a 1940 High School Annual from the John and Irene Jenson collection.

Rambler, Jackson, & Indian Motocycle Dealer---513 Lincoln

Jevons Studebaker Cars and Oliver Farm Equipment---Court Street

Eiznhamer Motor Company---Studebaker Dealership as it looked just after WWII.

Photo from the John and Irene Jensen collection.

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Eiznhamer Motor Company---Studebaker Dealer  

The postcard picture is from the John and Irene Jensen collection. 

The following story was published in the Spring 2008 edition of the Eye on Kansas Magazine.

The Eiznhamer Motor Company:
A Studebaker Dealer and the Town He Served

By Randy Rundle

Bill Eiznhamer owned the Studebaker Dealership in Clay Center Kansas from late 1945 until his death in 1952. He died in the winter of 1952, the result of a heart attack while helping the local body shop owner dig his wrecker out of a snow bank.

I did not come along until the 1958 model year, but I have always been interested in antique cars and trucks. When my aunt (Bill?s wife) passed away in the spring of 1968, my grandparents got the job of cleaning out her house and preparing for an estate sale. I was only too willing to help, having heard numerous stories from my grandparents over the years, about the Studebaker dealership.

I will provide you with the history as I know it.

Bill Eiznhamer?s used car dealerships were located in various locations around town (he started out selling used cars before WWII) until he obtained a Studebaker franchise just after the war. In August 1950 he moved over to 621 Lincoln Street. He was the first tenant in what was then a brand new building. It was the first building in town that was purposely built as a dealership, and the first one that he ever had ever? with a complete showroom and parts department.

He rented the new building from a Mrs. Schabel who was getting along in years but had taking a liking to Bill and wanted him to be the first tenant even though he could hardly afford it. She adjusted the rent down and said he could stay as long as he wanted.

The new building really put Eiznhamer Motors on the map and with an official parts department and a 4-car work bay, he was right up town. While he was only there for two years, those were no doubt his best years in the car business.

In his records it showed he had special ordered a 1952 Studebaker Model R-17 pickup for a Dr. Muck M. D. who was on temporary leave in the United States. Dr. Muck was serving as a foreign missionary. The truck was to be used in the foreign mission field and Dr. Muck had requested that special custom equipment be ordered and installed on his new truck.

Upon its arrival at the dealership Dr. Muck?s new truck was immediately sent to Kansas City, for the installation of the special equipment. The doctor paid in advance $2,182.20 for the truck and an additional $1,837.63 for the special equipment for a total of $4, 219.82, which was a sizeable sum in those days. It is too bad no pictures exist of the truck.

My aunt got the last car from Bill's dealership, a light blue 1952 Champion 4-door that he had special ordered for her. It arrived the week before he died. It was in very good condition at the time of her death, as she did not drive much in her later years.

Her Studebaker Champion had about 22,000 miles showing when it was sold at the estate auction. It sold for just over $1200 dollars at the estate sale. A local car collector bought it drove it for a few years then sold it to a collector in Belgium.

The Studebaker Dealership building became a Chevrolet Dealership in 1953 and remained the home of Skinner Motors up through the early 1990?s when it then became a NAPA Auto Parts Store. The building still stands today and looks much like it did when it was built in 1950.

Skinner Chevrolet---Picture from 1987.  Skinner was in business from 1953 to September 1998.

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Buick, Plymouth, Chrysler, & Dodge Dealer at the corner of 6th & Grant Avenue in the mid-1970's.

Siebold Motor Company---Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Pontiac Dealership west of the football stadium on Crawford Street.

Photo is from the John and Irene Jensen collection.

Primrose Ford--along 5th Street in the 1970's.

Clay Center Motors---Ralph Craig's used car lot on Sixth Street.  Ralph sold his used car business in late 2006.  Now the lot and caboose sit empty and for sale.

Photo is from the John and Irene Jensen collection.

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Dick Edwards acquired the GM & Chrysler franchises from Tom Skinner in September 1998.  In 2003 he moved the dealership to its present location on the West edge of Clay Center on Highway 24.  It remained Dick Edwards until December 31, 2005.

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Green Team of Clay Center Inc. is the present day Chevrolet-Buick-Pontiac-Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealership in Clay Center. It has an average new vehicle inventory of 65 and an average pre-owned inventory of 85 at its Clay Center location.  It's Parts Department stocks Genuine GM and Mopar Parts and Accessories. It's GM Goodwrench and Chrysler Certified Service Department has ten service bays, eight with vehicle lifts.

Our GM and Chrysler Brands have a long, strong history in Clay Center. We look forward to continuing to serve our community for the next 100+ years. Thank you for your continued support and patronage.

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