Historic Hood River
Mossbacks
6-10-2011
Notes
Here are Howard Frary, his wife Mrs. Maud Tucker Frary, and their niece showing off their car, “Mossback.” It was decorated for a 1918 car show. If spring of 1918 was anything like spring of 2011 they didn’t have to search very hard to find all that moss.
Mrs. Tucker was the daughter of B.R. Tucker. We saw her family mill in this image, taken just one year before Frary and Tucker got married. Perhaps she is even somewhere in that view, 26 years younger than we see her today.
Category: Downtown Hood River
Tags: 1910s, automobile, Frary, Fun Friday, parade, Rose Festival, Tucker
Tags: 1910s, automobile, Frary, Fun Friday, parade, Rose Festival, Tucker
spinsur
mossback:
1. An old shellfish or turtle with a growth of algae on its back.
2. An old, large, or sluggish fish.
3. An extremely conservative or old-fashioned person.
hmm, which one applies here…?
Jim Gray
Considering the sign and draped cloth with the stars, it maybe a political statement, "Mossback" a strict conservative. The car guy in me wants to know what the tank on the running board is for, perhaps for the kerosene lamps?
NancyR
I think they just left the car out for a week, and the moss took it over.
janis
Nice car for the wet weather.
l.e.
Evidently the term "Mossback" was also used by newcomers to the Northwest, making fun of the people who first settled the area.
ArthurB
The hubcap indicates the car is a Maxwell. The lamps make me think it’s older than 1918– maybe a 1912 or so.