Wilson in Wilson County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Hackney Wagon Company
Photographed By Mike Stroud, April 18, 2013
1. Hackney Wagon Company Marker
Erected 2005 by North Carolina Office of Archives and History. (Marker Number F-69.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Division of Archives and History series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.
Location. 35° 43.536′ N, 77° 54.66′ W. Marker is in Wilson, North Carolina, in Wilson County. Marker is at the intersection of Nash Street North (State Highway 58) and Tarboro Street, on the right when traveling east on Nash Street North. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 Nash St N, Wilson NC 27893, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Combat Wounded Veterans (within shouting distance of this marker); Henry G. Connor (within shouting distance of this marker); Wilson Theatre (within shouting distance of this marker); Branch Banking & Trust Company Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Wilson County Civil War Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Wilson Times (about 400 feet
this page online
Regarding Hackney Wagon Company. The Hackney name has been associated with vehicle manufacturing in North Carolina since Willis Napoleon Hackney became partner in a carriage shop in Wilson about 1854. Hackney and his descendants operated transportation companies in Wilson and Washington, North Carolina, that carried the Hackney name until 1996. In that year Transportation Technology, Incorporated (TTI), which had purchased the Hackney businesses in the 1980s, moved all production to the Hackney and Sons Company site in Washington. In 1903 George and W. D. Hackney, Willis Hackney’s sons, incorporated Hackney Wagon Company. George Hackney was also president of Hackney Brothers, the company that traced its roots to Willis Hackney’s carriage shop. With the earlier business focused on carriages and buggies, the 1903 venture was set up to manufacture farm and delivery wagons. It became known as the “wagon company” while Hackney Brothers was the “carriage company.” The wagon company’s primary competitors were Nissen in Winston-Salem and Piedmont in Hickory.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, April 18, 2013
2. Hackney Wagon Company Marker on East Nash Street (State Road 58) near Pine Street
The company prospered through World War I, the military having generated great demand for wagons. At one point Hackney’s production capacity was about 15,000 wagons per year. In 1920 George and W. D. Hackney exchanged assets, putting George in control of Hackney Brothers and W. D. becoming the sole owner of Hackney Wagon Company. The post war deluge of military surplus wagons and the increasing demand for motorized transportation contributed to the demise of Hackney Wagon Company.
Hackney declared bankruptcy in 1930 and George’s son Thomas J. Hackney, then vice president of Hackney Brothers, took over management of the business. In 1935 W. D. Adams, John Hackney, and W. B. Edwards formed Hackney Wagon Company, Inc. and bought the assets of the old company of the same name. That operation was still manufacturing farm and delivery wagons in 1942. It is not clear when Hackney Wagon Company ceased operation. Records of incorporation indicate that no reports were filed after 1936. In 1942, in a newspaper interview, W. D. Adams, director of Hackney Wagon Company was under the impression that his company shared the history of Hackney Brothers, in that he claimed that his company was founded in 1854. It seems that many people entwine the various Hackney enterprises. Nevertheless, Hackney Wagon Company stood on its own in Wilson and closed prior to the merger that
Photographed By Mike Stroud, April 18, 2013
3. Hackney Wagon Company Marker along southbound East Nash Street
(North Carolina Office of Archives & History — Department of Cultural Resources)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 10, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 897 times since then and 103 times this year. Last updated on January 14, 2023, by Michael Buckner of Durham, North Carolina. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 10, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
