Ernest M. Goodall at the controls of a steam automobile with nephew Thomas, about 1901.Photo courtesy of the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society
By Patricia Violette, Sanford-Springvale Historical Society
At the turn of the 20th century, the industrial landscape of southern Maine was defined by the steady hum of textile mills. Yet, beneath the factory smoke, a new era of transportation was quietly being forged. In December 1903, the American Automobile and Power Company was officially incorporated in Sanford, marking a bold automotive venture spearheaded by prominent local industrialist Ernest M. Goodall. While Henry Ford was beginning to capture the nation’s attention in Detroit, Goodall—already the president of his family’s massively successful Sanford Mills empire—saw an opportunity to transition from carriage robes to self-propelled vehicles.
While the company’s signature car marked Goodall’s entry into commercial manufacturing, his obsession with horseless carriages had begun a few years earlier. Members of the wealthy Goodall family were often the first to own new inventions. Around 1900, Goodall acquired the very first automobile seen in Sanford, an early steam-powered vehicle.
As a prominent transit executive who managed the Mousam River Railway, Goodall was deeply fascinated by mechanical propulsion. In the closing years of the 1890s, he even tasked mill mechanics with tinkering on early motorized designs. This private experimentation and his historic steam car purchase provided the exact inspiration Goodall needed to back a full-scale automotive factory.
The formal birth of Goodall’s automotive dream began with a prototype designed by engineer Edward O. Mosher. Built in a modest shed in Lawrence, MA, the vehicle made its public debut in March 1904 at the prestigious Boston Automobile Show. Hoping to establish Sanford as a regional hub for assembly, Goodall and his partners set up a factory space in town on land now occupied by Hannaford.
The resulting vehicle was named the American Populaire. It was tailored specifically to the rough, unpaved roads of early New England. Built on a modest 84-inch wheelbase, the vehicle featured an impressive piece of machinery for its time: a 12-horsepower, two-cylinder engine.
The company offered three distinct models:
- The Roadster: A baseline, lightweight two-seater model priced at an accessible $850.
- The Tonneau: A mid-range family option priced at $950, featuring a unique swing-out, split front seat for easy passenger access.
- The Cape Cod Tourer: The flagship luxury model, retailing at $1,000, built specifically for long-distance touring along the coast.
Despite a highly publicized debut and significant capital backing of $500,000, the company faced immediate headwinds. The early automotive industry was brutally competitive, filled with hundreds of independent workshops vying for market dominance. High production costs and the logistical challenges of scaling assembly outside of the Midwest quickly caught up with the venture.
By April 1905, just over a year after the Boston debut, production of the American Populaire officially ceased. The specialized factory building in Sanford was subsequently taken over by the Maine Alpaca Company.
Though short-lived, Goodall’s foray into automobile manufacturing remains a fascinating chapter in Sanford’s industrial heritage. It proved that the textile titans of York County possessed the foresight to look toward the horizon of American innovation. Today, the legacy of the Goodall family’s entrepreneurial spirit remains deeply woven into our local community.
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