Riddle Manufacturing Company

Riddle Manufacturing Company was a carriage and automobile manufacturer in Ravenna, Ohio. It was founded in 1831 as Clark Carriage Company and was later bought by Charles Merts and Henry W. Riddle. Their main product was state of the art funerary hearses but they also branched out into ambulances, invalid coaches, and everyday automobiles. Former U.S. Presidents William McKinley and Warren G. Harding are known to have had Riddle hearses at their funerals.

Riddle Manufacturing Company was a carriage and automobile manufacturing company located in Ravenna, Ohio. The company started out in 1831 as Clark Carriage Company and was bought in 1861 by Charles Merts and Henry W. Riddle. The business became Merts and Riddle Coach and Hearse Company. The two worked together to manufacture and sell a variety of vehicles including coaches, hearses, ambulances, and automobiles.

Merts and Riddle’s hearses were considered high end vehicles. It was common at this time for hearses to have intricate wood carvings depicting draped curtains, tassels, floral scrollwork, columns, and other decorative pieces. This work was done by hand, and Merts and Riddle employed skilled craftsmen for the job.

In August of 1871, the company experienced a major setback when a fire broke out in the company’s woodworking shop. There was no fire department in Ravenna at this time, and the entire building burned to the ground. Fortunately, no deaths were reported in this incident, but Riddle and Merts had to completely rebuild their company from scratch. With the help of some local bank loans, they were able to rebuild their factory and by 1873 they were back in production. In 1888 they had the opportunity to expand when fires destroyed some small structures near the factory. Riddle and Merts purchased the land and added to their factory production space.

In June of 1903 and March of 1911, the company suffered from two more fires that destroyed portions of the factory campus. The company had expanded significantly by this time, and now ran along Ravenna’s East Main Street in an area that became known as the Riddle Block. Both instances of fire seem to have been less destructive than the one in 1871, and there was ample local support and money available to facilitate a relatively quick rebuild and recovery. 

In 1891, Merts sold his share in the business which then became Riddle Coach and Hearse Company. The name changed once again around the time the company started producing motorized vehicles in 1911 and became Riddle Manufacturing Company.

While the Riddle Manufacturing Company was most well-known for their hearses, they did produce other types of vehicles such as ambulances and everyday automobiles. They also produced multipurpose vehicles such as a combination hearse, ambulance, and service car that could be converted for different transportation needs. Another multipurpose vehicle was the limousine invalid coach, an automobile that could have seats taken out to accommodate the transportation of people with wheelchairs or other mobility aides. A common theme of almost all of the vehicles in Riddle Manufacturing Company’s catalog was that they could be outfitted as a hearse. 

The 1920’s saw major growing pains for the company. During this time, there was increasing demand from the public for everyday use automobiles. As a result, there was also major growth in the production of automobiles and an increasingly competitive market. Even though they produced other kinds of vehicles, Riddle Manufacturing Company was still mainly known for their hearses. As a result, the funerary business was a large part of their clientele. The company was also known for handcrafted products and their attention to detail. This standard of production was likely at increasing odds with the rapid development of the modern assembly line system adopted by other growing automobile companies.

Riddle Manufacturing Company closed in 1926 but most of the buildings that made up the Riddle Block in Ravenna are still standing. They currently house local businesses and apartments. Some notable individuals who had Riddle hearses for their funerals during the company’s time in business include former Presidents William McKinley who died in 1901 and Warren G. Harding who died in 1923. American actor and singer Roy Rogers had a restored Riddle hearse for his funeral in 1998.

Ravenna, Touring Ohio the Heart of America. Accessed August 2 2021. http://touringohio.com/northeast/portage/ravenna.html.

Marvin, Keith. The Riddle of Ravenna, Portage County Historical Society. Accessed August 2 2021. https://www.pchsohio.org/uploads/1/2/2/6/122606467/the_automobilist_magazine_-july_1960_story_of_the_riddle_manufacturing_company_between_1916_and_1926.pdf.

Theobald, Mark. Riddle Coach &Hearse Co, Coachbuilt. Accessed August 2 2021. http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/r/riddle/riddle.htm.

Riddle, Thomas. The Riddle Manufacturing Co., Accessed August 2 2021. https://thomasriddle.net/cah/.

Riddle Coach and Hearse, Portage County Historical Society. Accessed August 4 2021. https://www.pchsohio.org/cah.html.