Ward also

worked at
NAPA Auto
Parts for a
short time
after selling
The Entrepreneurs of My Family
Ellis Coleman Fowler
In my family, many generations
on my dads side have owned a
business !y great"great grandfather
owned a dairy, his son an auto #arts
store, and his daughter $my
grandmother,% owned an anti&ues
sho#
The Crystal Spring Dairy
'he Crystal (#ring )airy
was owned by *ay Ward and his
family 'he )airy was lo+ated on
a farm outside of Elkins, West
,irginia *ay inherited from his
dad -ob Ward, who died in ./01
2is .0 +hildren and wife hel#ed
him o#erate the dairy, so did
some grand+hildren
'here was a lot of work to do on
the farm 'hey had to grow and
harvest wheat, alfalfa, and +orn for
food 'hey had to kee# a herd of
+attle, two work horses, and a bull
'he Wards had to milk the +ows twi+e
a day, strain and +ool the milk, #ut it
in bottles, and deliver the milk 'hey
also had to +lean the bottles and barn
after ea+h milking session
'he e&ui#ment used in+luded a
tra+tor, mower, hay rake, hay wagon,
and a fodder +ho##er 'he milking was
originally done by hand, but
eventually *ay Ward invested in
ma+hines to make the 3ob easier
*ay sold the farm when
#asteuri4ation of milk be+ame a law to
a larger +om#any
Ward & Hammon Auto Parts
In ./5., Austin Ward o#ened
6Ward 7 2ammon Auto Parts8 in a
#artnershi# with another business
man
'he original store was
lo+ated in Elkins, West ,irginia,
and be+ause of the stores
mountainous surroundings,
Austins 3ob was somewhat like
a do+tors 2e was one of the
only me+hani+s around, so
#eo#le traveling would +all him
when their +ar broke down And
no matter what time it was, he would
get u# and go to work
'he fa+t that they were the only
re#air sho# in Elkins, Ward 7 2ammon
got a lot of business 'his allowed
them to e9#and, o#ening : new stores
in Weston and ;u+khannon
In ./5<, Ward and 2ammon
agreed to s#lit the business 'he
stores in Elkins and Weston be+ame
6Ward Auto Parts8 'he business
+ontinued until around ./=0, and then
Austin Ward sold it to his em#loyees
West Antiques
Patty West $originally Patty
Ward% and her friend (hirley 'aylor
started after Pattys retirement in
.//. 'om West hel#ed with the
business too 'here were no other
em#loyees In .//>, Patty bought
(hirleys interest in the business
Patty maintained a retail store,
and also had to sear+h for and buy
anti&ues While she was away, she
would #ay the building owner to run
the store for her (he would buy
glassware, anti&ue toys, furniture, old
tools, books, and knives, to name a
few
West Anti&ues also show+ased
in several di?erent lo+ations in+luding
Elkins College and )avis College
Patty husband 'om hel#ed her move
anti&ues into the tru+k and onto the
table West Anti&ues +losed in .//5,m
be+ause 'om +ouldnt move things
anymore due to his arthritis
I never knew *ay or Austin
Ward, but my @randmother Patty Ward
West has a whole bun+h of leftover
anti&ues at her house, and its fun to
e9#lore them Also, my @randmother
always has interesting stories about
how she got the di?erent items
(our+esA
wwwna#aauto#arts+om
Patty West
Beslie Fowler
@regg Fowler