HIGH POINT CONFIDENTIAL: High Pointer bought a piece of German history in 1927

Nov. 18—HIGH POINT — As you know, Henry Ford — the much-celebrated industrialist who founded Ford Motor Co. — was a pretty sharp cookie, but he was apparently no match for High Point's own Stephen C. Clark in 1927.

Ford, as wealthy and powerful as he was, had an addictive hobby — collecting. Some historians have even described him as a hoarder, which may sound harsh but which, confidentially, may also be accurate.

At any rate, Ford collected all sorts of things — books, greeting cards, clocks and watches, household objects large and small, and even vintage automobiles and other forms of transportation. He sometimes even dispatched his assistants to go find items he felt should be saved and preserved.

Among the items Ford hoped to add to his ever-growing collection was the royal coach of Kaiser Wilhelm II, an elegant horse-drawn carriage ridden in by the former German emperor at important state functions until he was forced to abdicate the throne in 1918.

Unfortunately for Ford, he wasn't the only collector who had his eye on the magnificent coach. Clark, a High Point real-estate developer whose many local triumphs included the popular Emerywood residential development, also coveted the coach for his collection of antiques and curios, which included several other vintage carriages.

Ironically, Ford — a man who was used to getting what he wanted — likely had never even heard of Clark, so he was probably stunned when he learned the High Point businessman had essentially stolen the kaiser's coach right out from under his nose.

The news of Clark's showy acquisition broke in February 1927, when The High Point Enterprise reported he had bought it the previous week from a New York auction house and brought it to High Point.

According to Clark, he bought the coach "before many of the metropolitan collectors became aware of its sale," The Enterprise reported. "Several prominent and nationally known men, among them Henry Ford, were eager to add it to their collections ... but were foiled in their attempts by a previous option which had been secured on it by Mr. (J.J.) Farriss."

Farriss was the editor of The Enterprise and a pretty sharp cookie himself — sharp enough to have outfoxed Henry Ford and the other would-be buyers. When word got out that the carriage was on its way to High Point via train, a crowd gathered at the depot to catch a glimpse of it.

According to newspaper articles about Clark's purchase, the coach had quite a history, having belonged to the royal family for generations. Not only had it been used most recently by Kaiser Wilhelm II for important state functions, it was also said to have been employed in the 1858 royal wedding of Frederick III, the German Crown Prince, and his young bride, Victoria.

The exquisite wooden coach was hand-carved and hand-painted, and featured the Prussian shield on each door. It had seats in the front for two drivers, seats for four occupants in the main body, and a platform at the rear for two footmen.

Here's how majestic the coach was:

"A combination of velvet and taffeta mounted with strips of golden braid decorates the driving quarters," The Enterprise wrote. "...The body is painted in maroon and black with carmine stripes. The door knob is of German silver and has crests of the various kingdoms of Prussia around the upper part of the body. In the rear, attached to the body, are two pair of handles of German silver for use of the footmen, and on either side, between the body proper and the driver's quarters, there are glass lamps of German silver with an etched crown."

Safe to say High Pointers had never seen anything quite like this.

While Clark declined to say what he had paid for the coach, he did say it had at one time been insured for $40,000.

And what were Clark's plans for this fine, imperialistic carriage? He hoped to put it on display if he could find a suitable space downtown, though it's not clear whether that ever happened.

Clark also joked that if his friend, O.A. Kirkman, was elected mayor in the next election, he would escort him to his swearing-in in the royal coach. Kirkman did become mayor, but not until 1939, and it's unknown whether Clark still had the coach at that time.

He also said he would bring the carriage out for special parades in High Point, but again, we don't know if that actually happened. We do know, however, that in 1928, Clark allowed the coach to be used at a historical pageant in Asheville.

Beyond that, the history of the famous coach is a mystery. How long did it remain in High Point? Did the locals get many opportunities to see it? And, most intriguingly, where is it now?

jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579