This image shows the Vagabonds (minus Burroughs) with President Warren Harding, who joined them in 1921. Photo courtesy of … The Four Vagabonds often went on fishing and camping trips together. In The Vagabonds Jeff Guinn shares the story of this pivotal moment in American history. The Adventurer's Rum Four Vagabonds Silver Rum. The Vagabonds End Their Two Week Vacation in Western Maryland. Edison and Ford pretended they were roughing, but the trips almost always included an elaborate entourage, stops in nice hotels, and more to soften the blow. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone pulled into the square and asked for a drink of water, which residents obtained from the well. The Vagabonds in western North Carolina on their camping trip in 1918: (from left) Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, John Burroughs, and Harvey Firestone. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Fires-tone, and John Burroughs, who called themselves the “Four Vagabonds”, embarked on a series of Despite their humble moniker, the Vagabonds certainly knew how to travel in style. Since Henry Ford had no shortage of Model Ts at his disposal, the four men toured the country with as many as 50 automobiles! They passed through Mocksville and Winston-Salem on their way to Virginia. "Four Vagabonds" by Bill Ramsey Bruceton Mills, West Virginia 1921 - Camping with the President The third in a series of articles about the legendary excursions and summer tours of the “Four Vagabonds”. Friends Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, President Warren G. Harding and Harvey Firestone pictured on a camping trip that the four took together in Maryland with members of their families. They called themselves the Four Vagabonds. By Francis Champ Zumbrun. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs, referred to themselves as the “Four Vagabonds” and their annual gatherings received public attention by curiosity seekers who wanted to observe and hopefully meet these celebrities of … photograph by THE COLLECTIONS OF THE HENRY FORD “It often seemed to me,” Burroughs later wrote, “that we were a luxuriously equipped expedition going forth seeking discomfort.” Ford, Edison, Firestone, and Burroughs would ride in one car, while a long motorcade trailed behind, carrying their servants and entourage. But he also examines the important relationship between the older Edison and the younger Ford, who once worked for the famous inventor. Henry Ford invented the affordable automobile. The road trips made the automobile ubiquitous and magnified Ford’s reputation, even as Edison’s diminished. They called themselves the Four Vagabonds. A few Mocksville residents witnessed the brief stop of several august visitors to town on August 29, 1918. The Vagabonds is “a portrait of America’s burgeoning love affair with the automobile” (NPR) but it also sheds light on the important relationship between the older Edison and the younger Ford, who once worked for the famous inventor. And, together, the brilliant best friends also invented the great Family did sometimes come along for the ride but the trips almost always included tire manufacturer Harvey Firestone and naturalist John Burroughs. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs, referred to themselves as the “Four Vagabonds” and their annual gatherings received public attention and curiosity seekers who wanted to observe and hopefully meet these celebrities of the 20th Century. Between 1916 and 1924, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs embarked on a series of annual camping trips. 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