Duryea << DUR yay or DUR ee ay >> brothers were two automobile pioneers. Charles E. Duryea (1861-1938) and J. Frank Duryea (1869-1967) built the first successful gasoline-powered car in America. Their one-cylinder model made a trial run in 1893 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The brothers formed the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in Springfield in 1895, and produced 13 cars in 1896.
In the early 1900’s, Frank Duryea worked for the Stevens Arms Company and designed larger, heavier automobiles. Charles was born in Canton, Illinois, and Frank in Washburn, Illinois.
