Fredonia Runabout 1901

Fredonia Manufacturing Company, Youngstown, Ohio.

This company built a car in 1895, and one or two more the following year, one of which was said to be the Booth-Crouch. The engine of this car was built by W.Lee Crouch and the body designed by it's customer, Dr. Carlos Booth, but possibly it was put together by the Fredonia company. They did not offer a line of cars for sale until September 1902, when the 9hp single cylinder runabout and 10hp tonneau were listed. They had tiller steering, single chain drive and a front similar to the contemporary Cadillac and Ford. For 1904 the engine was quoted as 10/12hp, whel steering was provided, and there was a formal bonnet on De Dion Bouton lines, although the engine was still under the seat. The Fredonia engine was unusual in that the mixture was pre-compressed in an annular chamber before admission to the cylinder. Was this an early form of supercharging?