John Gary Anderson and His Maverick Motor Company: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Rock Hill Rival

To John Gary Anderson, a well-designed, well-made, well-marketed car would speed to the head of the pack, leaving the bewildered competition in its dust. John Gary Anderson-the hungry visionary who founded the Anderson Car Company and attempted to revitalize Rock Hill, South Carolina, as the automobile capital of the country-never forgot where he came from and never lost sight of where he wanted to go. Born into poverty during the Civil War, Anderson's industrial ingenuity and drive would come to symbolize the New South, and his devotion to the economic livelihood of his home would not be forgotten. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Anderson was poised for unstoppable success in the new automobile industry-until it all came crashing down.