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The History of Sewell Ford
The year was 1911 and after selling several Ford Model T's from his hardware
store in Arlington, Texas, E.F.
Sewell received a call one day from
Henry Ford ackowledging his sales and asking if he would like to become a dealer. Back then,
the trucks would arrive on a flatbed rail car in crates and after assemblng, the crates were used for the
bed of the trucks. Mr. Sewell would sign the back of the instructions on how to operate & maintain the
vehicle (stating that the customer had read them) & that would serve as the customer's driver's
license.
In 1926, during the
Great Depression, the
dealership was closed & the Sewell Family relocated to Crane, Texas. In 1935, sons
Carl Sr. and Woody,
purchased the the bankrupt Love Motor
Company in Odessa. Located at 2nd Street & Texas
Avenue, Carl Sewell Motor sold half of their 22-vehicle inventory on opening day. New cars sold from
$695 - $1,035. A new
truck could be bought for $635.
During the great oil boom in the early 1940's, the sales & service
departments stayed open 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week. They would often sell new cars at 2 or 3am when the bars
started closing. Sometimes the men would come in and buy a new car on the spur of the moment. Today, a century
after E.F. Sewell sold his first Model
T, Sewell has been recognized by Ford as the second oldest Ford
dealership in Texas.
Sewell moved to it's current location of 2425 E. 8th Street in 1972.
Being one of the largest employers in Odessa with approximately 200 employees. The Sewell family believes
in giving back to the community with projects such as The Big
Serve, a public service event which enabled team members and
their families an opportunity to serve two local nursing homes, The Crisis Center, High
Sky Children's Ranch, Home
Hospice, Jesus House & Mission
Messiah. Sewell has sponsored
The John Maxwell
LeadershipEvent, The Education Foundation of
Odessa & numerous other local
charities.
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A great day for a new vehicle!