Hill & CO: The Legacy of the Fort Myers Ford Motor Car
June 30, 2025
When Henry Ford arrived in Fort Myers, a procession of Ford automobiles waited to greet him at the Monroe Street depot – a line formed on the corner of Main and Monroe. Most, if not all of those cars were purchased from Hill & CO. The legacy of the Ford automobile in Southwest Florida owes its humble beginning to two men who seized an opportunity to usher in the modern mode of transportation and leave a lasting imprint of the Ford company on Fort Myers. During its transition from a frontier community to a successful economic power in the modern tourism industry, Joseph Walton Hill, and partner Edward H. Sykes, cultivated the most successful auto dealership in Fort Myers history – one that is still rooted in our local area.
In 1910, J.W. Hill began selling Ford cars in Fort Myers. He signed a deal for 24 Ford automobiles a year, and he managed to sell every one of them. Two years later, E. H. Sykes partnered with Hill, and the two men were everything from salesmen to auto repair men, utilizing their background in marine repair. The two-man operation of 1912 blossomed into a 39-man operation by 1927. They provided everything needed for local Ford owners and the company was one of the area’s leading employers. Along the way, Sykes and Hill helped transform the mode of transportation from steamships, railroad, and oxcart, to automobiles.
A big moment for the dealership was when Henry Ford himself visited Fort Myers. The news of Ford’s 1914 visit was leaked through the local press, just days before his February 23 arrival. The people planned a hero’s welcome. On February 21, 1914, the public was notified through the News Press that a committee planning a welcome party wished to have all Ford auto owners ready to have their cars decorated and presented for a grand parade upon the famous visitor’s arrival. The ceremonies were planned by the board of trade and the 31-car procession made up of Ford automobiles owned by local citizens was led by three Model T touring cars that had been purchased by Henry Ford (for use during their stay in Fort Myers). Hill & CO. provided model Ts for celebrities.
While in town, Ford secured an automobile license from HA Blae, the county tax collector. This gave Ford the right to use his cars on the streets and around the rugged terrain of Southwest Florida. The event boosted auto sales for the partners. In October 1914, Hill unloaded an entire shipment of Fords and ordered another to replace it immediately, breaking the record for car sales in Lee County.
By 1917, Sykes and Hill outgrew their 40 x 60-foot storage garage on Second Street, between Royal Palm and Fowler and moved to a 65 x 120-foot storage space in the Heitman Building on Bay Street. Less than a decade later, Sykes and Hill incorporated and invested in a 27,000-square-foot, four-story building for $100,000 at 3717 McGregor Boulevard. Construction began in May 1925, and by January 1926, the mega motor warehouse opened to the public. They not only filled their building but were able to boast the sale of more than 600 touring cars, roadsters and sedans, along with more than 20 Lincolns, 60 trucks, and several tractors. From marine repairmen to auto moguls, the two men not only invested in the Ford name but also invested in the hope that Fort Myers would continue to thrive economically.
Sykes and Hill learned every aspect of their product from factory to showroom, and so did their workers. In 1924, they sent Grover C. Hackney and J.J. Stubbs to Detroit to learn about the cars they sold. Leaving town in a Ford roadster, the two set out to tour the Ford manufacturing facility in Michigan. Then, in January 1925, Frank Campsall, Mr. Ford’s personal secretary arrived to discuss business with Hill and Sykes – just months before the construction of their new modern warehouse and showroom, an Iconic building that remained on Main Street until 1990.
In May 1925, construction began on the four-story, 27,000-square-foot building and was completed the following January. It was equipped with an elevator to deliver the cars that were stored on the third and fourth floors down to the street level. The ground floor had offices and a showroom, as well as a full-service center that provided all the parts and service for its customers. The building became an iconic representation of modern progress and remained the focal point of the Ford dealership until 1962 when it was leased to businessman Egbert T. Smith.
The Hill & CO dealership was representative of Fort Myers’ economic status in the early 20th century and everything that was accomplished by the dealership was pridefully reported in the local paper. From smashing the auto sales record in 1914 to the construction of their multi-story modern building on McGregor, the people of Fort Myers kept a keen eye on Ford’s progress. The local newspaper also reported the sale of new trucks to Collier County, the 1924 parade of new Fordson Tractors with a procession led by the 667th Ford Roadster, and the 1923 employee party.
By 1927, the foundation of the Fort Myers Ford relationship was as solid as the cement in their new modern showroom. The dealership was sold to Theresa and David Shackelford. After changing the name to Tropical Motors in 1928, a public announcement to the people of Fort Myers was published in the News Press on June 13, 1929, announcing Lee Motors as the authorized Ford dealer of Fort Myers. Two days later, it was announced that J.C. Bowen was to take over management of the agency. Bowen was an experienced company man who acted as traveling representative for the Jacksonville plant and one-time dealer in Alabama.
In 1943, the Shacklefords turned the reigns over to their grandson, Sam Galloway Sr., who assumed operating control and ownership of the store. Under mounting pressure from Ford Motor Company, the store was re-located to the corner of U.S. 41 and Colonial Boulevard and became home to the new Sam Galloway Ford in 1963.
As for the iconic downtown Sykes & Hill building, it remained until 1990, and throughout the 1970s and 1980s was the center of a controversial transition of old 20th century Fort Myers to the modern era of the 21st century. In 1962, the building was leased to Egbert T. Smith, who eventually purchased it in 1971. Then, in April 1973, the building was officially named “Smith Building” and was purchased by Lee County for $153,000 and became an annex to the neighboring courthouse. The building was finally torn down on August 10, 1990, after several attempts to save it as a historical landmark.
Although the building is gone, the legacy of the dealership remains in the Fort Myers area, thanks to the Galloways. For eight decades, they have continued to foster the seeds that were originally planted by Joseph Walton Hill and Edward H. Sykes, remaining one of the most successful automobile dealerships rooted in Southwest Florida tradition. After taking over the dealership in 1943, Sam Galloway Sr. (1921–2007) passed it on to his son, Sam Galloway Jr. (1944–2021) in 1971, who cultivated the family dealership into the top 100 Ford dealerships in the United States. After 40 years at Colonial Boulevard and Route 41, Sam Jr. expanded the family business which currently operates two auto mega sites: one on Boy Scout Drive, and the Coconut Point Ford in Estero. His family remains at the helm of the area’s most successful Ford dealership.
By Tim Snyder, Assistant Program Manager
