It was not a mystery to Louise Barrows; she knew right where the Fairmount trophy was. Safely nestled in her Birmingham, Mich., home, she’d been caring for her grandfather, Irving J. Morse’s treasured cup — along with other family heirlooms — until her death last November at age 90.
Artists at Bailey, Banks & Biddle (the Tiffany's of its day and place) were said to have worked round the clock creating the three foot, thirty-pound ornate sterling trophy, crowned with a figure of William Penn.
The Fairmount Park event was the first major race run strictly with only American vehicles, hosted in the birthplace of American Independence and won by a driver who weeks later would achieve hero-status — becoming the first American to win an international competition in an American automobile.
Irving J. Morse won the coveted trophy on Oct. 8, 1908, when his Locomobile on Firestone tires — driven by the renowned racer George Robertson — took first place at the 200 mile Fairmount competition.
Fairmount Park was home to America’s first zoo and the host of the nation’s first World’s Fair. Originally developed for its scenic views by Pennsylvania’s founder, William Penn, the race’s eight-mile course sped along a golf course and river, under bridges, over trolley tracks and past businesses onto brick-paved streets.
The hilly and winding course was considered so dangerous that over 25 surgeons and 1,500 policeman were hired. Still this shorter, scenic track infused more racing excitement for fans due to the higher frequency of cars constantly vying for position. From Lozier and Studebaker to an Apperson Jack Rabbit, the best of American automakers competed.
A pioneer in the automobile industry, Morse managed multiple branches of the Locomobile Co. of America, a firm that would originate with the steam car in 1899, but succumb to the Crash of 1929. At age 23, the dashing Robertson would win three major races in 1908 (all three in a Locomobile) and would again take first place honors at 1909’s Fairmount event.
He later became director of Lincoln automobile and Ford airplane operations in the 1920s.
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