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Riddle Coach Company History
The Riddle Coach and Hearse Company of Ravenna, Ohio
has a long history dating back to 1831 when it began as the Clark
Carriage Company, owned by N.D. Clark. The Clark Carriage Company
was bought in 1861 by brothers-in-law, Charles Merts and Henry
W. Riddle. He was 22 years old. The new name became the Merts
and Riddle Coach and Hearse Company.
Charles, a fine tool maker and wood worker, supervised
the factory while Henry went on the road, selling. He would take
a string of vehicles and not return until they were sold.
The men upgraded the coaches to a high level and introduced
the hearses. Artisans from around the world were brought in to
do fine wood carving and trimming. All of the construction was
done by hand in the Ravenna factory. In 1891, Merts sold his
share of the business to Riddle and again the name changed, this
time to Riddle Coach and Hearse. When the company began producing
motorized vehicles, the name again changed to Riddle Manufacturing
Company.
The Riddle hearses became known for their fine quality.
Presidents McKinley and Harding were carried to their graves
in Riddle hearses. In 1998 Roy Rogers was buried from a restored
Riddle Hearse.
Motorized hearses, including ambulances were made
at the factory beginning about 1912. In the mid-1920s the factory
needed to change from proudly hand-crafted production to assembly
line techniques if it was to keep up with the competion. Such
a major change was deemed, after some family in-fighting, too
costly and in 1926 the factory closed. |
