In the early 1900s, Chester (Chet) and Clayton Karns of Everett became pioneers in the automobile industry and were recognized by the American Automobile Association (AAA) as the first automobile dealers in Pennsylvania. Their garage combined car sales and repair work, with a drum of gas and oil kept on the sidewalk outside for the few car owners traveling the Lincoln Highway through Everett. In 1904, Chet's mechanical knowledge led him to design and build his own version of a "horseless carriage," known as the Karns Kar, but it required financial backing for mass production, and he faced competition from Henry Ford.