Lynbrook historical odds & ends: A $550 Chevrolet in Lynbrook

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Automobile advertisement in the New Era newspaper in 1916.
Automobile advertisement in the New Era newspaper in 1916.
Courtesy Art Mattson

Editors note: Lynbrook historical odds and ends is a column that takes a look back at some interesting facts and events in the village from over the years.

In 1916, Lynbrook’s New Era newspaper advertised a nifty looking, new Chevrolet at Albert F. Janecek’s auto dealership on Merrick Road.

The car cost just $550.  Do not read too much into that. Back then, the $750 deluxe model cost the entire annual salary of the average worker in the U.S. That would be well over $50,000 today. The lower priced model would be more than $35,000.

Back then, ads had three-digit telephone numbers. Phones were still a luxury. And with only a few businesses along Merrick Road in Lynbrook, no street number was needed for the address.

 

Mattson is the official Lynbrook village historian and a director of the Historical Society of East Rockaway and Lynbrook. Additionally, he is the author of “The History of Lynbrook,” which is available on Amazon.com and at local libraries.