PHOTO OF THE DAY: LOOKING BACK
This building at 440 S. Main – today warehouse space for Mr. G’s Tires – was built in 1916. Charles J. Schrag erected the first brick garage for service work and a dealership for Chevrolet and Oakland vehicles. It was the first brick garage in Freeman and the second largest brick garage in the state, according to “Freeman Facts, Freeman Fiction,” the history book published in 1979. His brother Jacob J. Schrag later joined the business. It was sold to Albert Schmidt in 1925; Schmidt Motor Co. became a Buick, Chevrolet, Elgin and Oakland dealership.
In 1946, Andrew G. Pollman opened a Marshall Wells Hardware store in the building; it continued until 1974. The building then became home to GTC Auto Parts and later CarQuest. In 2005, Gerry and Charlene Hora purchased the building to expand storage for Mr. G’s Tires, which they had established on the southern end of the block two years earlier.
Our museum collects and shares the rich history of the larger Freeman community. We invite you to visit us. We’re open weekday afternoons from noon to 4 through April. In May, we will begin our new summer hours; we’ll be open 10 to 4 Mondays through Saturdays and other times by appointment. We are open holidays from May through September.
