For more than a century, motorists have relied upon the building at 81 Freneau Avenue to keep their automobiles on the road. Today operating as Straight Line Automotive, the business traces its origins to July 1922, when local mechanic Joseph Letzon Wilson opened Wilson’s Garage. Based upon contemporary newspaper accounts announcing the opening of the business, it is believed to be Matawan’s oldest continuously operating automotive repair business.
Joseph Letzon Wilson (1888–1972) was a third-generation member of a well-established Matawan family. His grandfather, Jacob Edgar Wilson (1821–1913), left Holmdel as a young man, settled in the Freneau section, and operated a flour and feed mill before spending nearly fifty years in the carriage and blacksmith trades. At the time of his death, local newspapers described him as Matawan’s oldest resident. Joseph’s father, Edgar Edmund Wilson—often referred to in contemporary newspapers as Edward Wilson—was a lifelong resident of Freneau and a respected house painter whose obituary noted that he had lived his entire life within a short distance of his birthplace. Joseph’s decision to establish an automobile repair garage represented a natural progression from the family’s long association with transportation and mechanical trades.
In July 1922, newspapers announced the opening of Wilson’s Garage, marking the beginning of a business that would serve generations of Matawan-area motorists. Although a 1936 advertisement stated that the garage had been established in 1921, the contemporary 1922 newspaper account is considered the more reliable source for the beginning of the business.
Wilson’s Garage quickly became a familiar fixture along Freneau Avenue. Besides mechanical repairs, the business offered gasoline, lubrication, tire service, and the countless small repairs that kept early automobiles operating on New Jersey’s developing road system. During an era when most communities depended upon only a handful of repair garages, Wilson earned a reputation for dependable service and practical mechanical skill.
During the decades that followed, the building remained devoted to automotive repair under a succession of owners remembered by many Matawan residents. Among the businesses that operated from 81 Freneau Avenue were Wilson’s Garage, Rinear’s Garage, Automan Automotive and today Straight Line Automotive. While the names over the door changed, the purpose of the building remained remarkably constant: serving the motoring public.
Few commercial buildings in Matawan can claim such remarkable continuity of purpose. For more than a century, generations of local residents have brought their automobiles to the same address for service and repair. The story of Wilson’s Garage—and today’s Straight Line Automotive—is more than the history of a single business. It reflects Matawan’s transition from the era of the blacksmith and carriage builder to the age of the automobile, preserving an unbroken tradition of skilled automotive service that continues today.
Author’s Note
This article adopts July 1922 as the founding date because it is supported by a contemporary newspaper account announcing the opening of the garage. A later advertisement citing 1921 is acknowledged but not relied upon, consistent with historical methodology that gives greater weight to contemporary primary sources.
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