The roads called, but where were the cars?

G etting around Frederick County wasn’t so easy in 1947. The roads were in good shape, and the country’s automobile manufacturers had shifted from making military vehicles to fight in World War II to once again making automobiles.

Or rather, they were supposed to be making automobiles. There was a shortage of steel after the war, as much of it was being exported to help rebuild Europe. What steel was available was sitting idle because of a steelworkers strike. This meant that automobiles and trucks were rolling off the assembly lines. It was more of a trickle, and most of that trickle didn’t make it to Frederick County.