Sparks & Hamilton

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  The Sparks & Hamilton dealership was located at 132 S. Main St. from 1915 to 1962.

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  An automobile ready for service at Sparks & Hamilton in the 1940s.

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  Sparks & Hamilton was located in the building that once housed the JoHantgen Carriage Co.

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  Sparks & Hamilton sold a variety of new and used vehicles during its years of operation

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  1921 ad for a Cleveland Light Six auto sold at Sparks & Hamilton.

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  Sparks & Hamilton invoice from June 8, 1929.

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  Sparks & Hamilton offered 24-hour wrecker service.

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  A wrecked auto with a Michigan 1939 license plate that was towed to Sparks & Hamilton garage.

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  1939 ad for a Cadillac V-8 LaSalle for sale at Sparks & Hamilton.

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  1951 ad for Sparks & Hamilton used cars.

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For nearly half a century, the Sparks family operated an automobile dealership from its location in the former JoHantgen Carriage Co. building at 132 S. Detroit St. The Sparks Motor Co. was established there in 1915 by French Sparks and his son, Ruric Sparks. French had owned a nearby livery business since 1901. The new venture secured an agency for Wescott automobiles, which were manufactured in Richmond, Indiana, and later in Springfield, Ohio.

Soon afterward, Gail Hamilton, French Sparks’ son-in-law, joined the business as a partner, and the company became Sparks & Hamilton. Around this time, the firm also became a Chevrolet agency. In 1921, it advertised the “Cleveland Light Six” automobile from the Chandler Motor Car Co.

After French Sparks died in 1930, Ruric Sparks and Gail Hamilton continued the successful business. Ruric’s son, Richard, later joined the family operation and managed it from 1946 to 1962 before becoming associated with the Earl W. Miller Oldsmobile-Pontiac dealership in Bellefontaine.

In the early 1930s, Sparks & Hamilton advertised as a “bonded Pennzoil dealer,” and they sold Mobilgas distributed by the Parks-Klay Co. of Lima, Ohio. By the mid-1930s, the business also offered Cadillac LaSalle automobiles with V-8 engines and a starting price of $1,240.

In 1941, the building underwent extensive remodeling; the paint and body repair departments were rearranged, and new fluorescent lighting was installed in the sales and parts rooms. The vacant lot next to the building continued to serve as the used-car lot, with plans to illuminate it at night.

Sparks Auto Sales also offered 24-hour wrecker service. By the early 1950s, the business sold Chrysler and Plymouth automobiles and provided complete automobile service for all makes and models. It remained in operation until about 1962, when the property was sold to the U.S. Postal Service for construction of a new facility.

A related family note: another of Ruric Sparks’ son, Herbert “Bud” Sparks, owned and operated The Bellefontaine Lumber Co. at 300 E. Columbus Ave. from 1937 until he sold it to James P. Hess in 1964. Hess Lumber Co. remains family owned and operated. Gail Hamilton, mentioned above, married Katherine Sparks and died in 1955; he should not be confused with the Gail Hamilton who served as mayor of Bellefontaine from 1996 – 2000.