A Car Once Bought With a Song Wins National Award with Style
Seal Cove Auto Museum Has A Lot To Offer
SEAL COVE—This month a museum on Mount Desert Island quietly won a major award in the world of antique automobiles for a car once owned by Metropolitan opera lyric tenor James Melton.
The Seal Cove Auto Museum hosted an 1910 Pierce—Arrow 36—UU Runabout at the Misselwood Concours d’Elegance at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts.
The auto museum earned official congratulations from the National Association of Automobile Museums (NAAM) amongst its other kudos.
According to NAAM, “Misselwood is a gorgeous concours on Endicott’s oceanside campus that benefits the colleges student scholarship program.”
“Councours d’Elegance” is French and means a “competition of elegance.” It comes from 17th century France; during summer weekends aristocrats in Paris would parade in their horse-drawn carriages.
The 1910 Pierce-Arrow Model 36-UU cost $3,850 new and was one of 1,918 cars of that model produced in 1910. A cast-iron, T-Head, inline six-cylinder engine runs the runabout-style body of the car. It features a shaft-drive, four-speed, sliding gear transmission and mechanical brakes on its rear wheels.
The car was owned by Melton who recorded for Victor & Columbia records, As a “producer and actor, James Melton was also an esteemed automobile collector,” according to the museum.
“According to Melton’s book, Bright Wheels Rolling, he purchased this model 36-UU ‘for a song.’ Melton wrote that the purchasing deal was satisfied after he sang ‘The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise,’” the museum said.
The car was sold to Dr. Samuel Scher, who is considered a “pioneering collector.”
“Dr. Scher built his collection in the late 40s and 50s during a time when collecting was still in its infancy,” the museum said. “As one of the founders of the practice of cosmetic surgery, Dr. Scher ensured that his automobile restorations were of the highest caliber, akin to the cosmetic surgeries he performed on his patients. Reuter’s Coach Works was the predominant restoration outfit trusted by Dr. Scher for his restoration ventures.”
According to Seal Cove Auto Museum Director Mike Staggs, “In 1965, 41 automobiles from Dr. Scher’s landmark collection were purchased by Richard C. Paine, Jr. and moved to a new home on Mount Desert Island, Maine, adjacent to Acadia National Park. Richard amassed one of the most significant automobile collections in the world.”
Staggs became the director last summer after 23 years at Friends of Acadia, and there are some new team members helping to steer the museum into its future, which includes showing the story of Mount Desert Island and its history through the automobiles that the museum hosts.
“This 1910 Pierce-Arrow is still owned by a descendant of Richard C. Paine, Jr., and is currently on gracious loan to the Seal Cove Auto Museum,” Staggs said.
Cars like the 1910 Pierce-Arrow inform programs and interactions within the public and outside of it.
The museum just hosted a Young Audience Concert in collaboration with the Bar Harbor Music Festival.
Nicholas Pappone and Taya Ricker (violin), Adam Kramer (Viola), Hikaru Tamaki (cello), and Pawel Knapik (bass)—all world-class musicians—engaged a group of young listeners.
Also this month, the museum attended the Bar Harbor parade, participated in the 1932 Criterion’s grand reopening celebration, and a car show at Birch Bay Village Retirement Home.
More About the Museum:
“The Seal Cove Auto Museum fosters joyful experiences for people of all ages and interests. Our collection features some of the earliest automobiles and motorcycles, as well as clothing and accessories, from 1895 through the early 1920s. Antique auto enthusiasts, history buffs, as well as anyone who simply loves stories or wants to experience something entirely different, will delight in this unique collection.
“Inspired by more than 60 vehicles, the Museum shares exciting stories about this transformational time in American history. Stories about invention and innovation, art, design, women’s rights, and social and economic changes can be traced through the early automobile, when inventors were experimenting with steam, electricity, and gas-powered engines. The Seal Cove Auto Museum shares these stories — the innovation, ingenuity, and the power of imagination — that created these vehicles and transformed life in America.
“The Museum hosts many programs and events throughout the year including demonstration days, Cars & Coffees, dances, dinners, kids’ activities, and more. Visit our Events Page for more information.”
The Seal Cove Auto Museum Misselwood Team:
Michael Staggs, Executive Director
David Nichols, Associate Curator
Peter Brown, Senior Mechanic
Alyson Melselman, Garage Volunteer – instrumental in getting the automobile running by manufacturing specialized pencil filters for the oil system.
Joan Melselman – spouse to Alyson
John Urbanek – Board Member and Garage Volunteer
Peggy Fitzpatrick
Lynne Staggs
Grayson Stagg
Unless otherwise specified all photos from Bar Harbor Story. Some of the information in this article was also mentioned in our briefs article yesterday, but we decided that this win and the work of the museum needed a bit more celebration.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE.
Seal Cove Auto Museum, is located in Seal Cove, Maine, on Mount Desert Island at 1414 Tremont Road.
To learn more about the museum go to sealcoveautomuseum.org.
It’s next event is Cars and Coffee: Made in the USA on August 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.