Then and Now: Agnes McDonald and the electric car

Agnes McDonald (1865-1961) was one of Spokane’s most colorful characters. She was only 35 when her husband, a wealthy mining investor, died, leaving her with two sons to raise. His investments left her comfortably well off. The popular philanthropist was know for driving an antique electric car around town.

Section:Gallery

Mon., June 25, 2018

1940 - Agnes McDonald, at around 75 years of age, sits in her 1916 Rauch and Lang electric car in front of the Campbell House. “I wouldn’t own any other kind of car,” says McDonald, whose average operating expense was $2.50 a month. In addition, every five or six years she had to buy new batteries costing $500. The 24-year old car, mileage unknown, because the speedometer gave up the ghost years ago, still has one of its original tires.

Photo Archive Sr
2018 - The 1916 Rauch and Lang electric brougham that once belonged to Agnes McDonald is on display in the carriage house of the Campbell House, part of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, shown Wednesday, June 20, 2018. Well known for her philanthropy, McDonald was probably most famous for driving the car around Spokane until she was 80 years old.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
Wealthy widow Agnes McDonald drove this 1916 electric brougham from when she acquired the car in 1918 until 1951. The Rauch and Lang electric auto is now on display at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, shown Wednesday, June 20, 2018. The driver sat in the “back seat” and held a tiller for steering. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
Agnes McDonald’s 1916 Rauch and Lang electric car was definitely a luxury item as it cost more than four times what a Model T might have cost in that era, but the wealthy widow drove it from 1918, when she acquired it, until 1951. It was donated to the Eastern Washington University Historical Society and is still on display at the Campbell House next to the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
The 1916 electric car owned by Agnes McDonald shows that the vehicle was licensed in 1952. Mrs. McDonald, a wealthy widow, drove the car from when she bought it in 1918 until around 1951, when she stopped driving. The car is on display at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
Wealthy widow Agnes McDonald drove her 1916 electric brougham from when she acquired the the car in 1918 until 1951. The Rauch and Lang electric auto is now on display at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, shown Wednesday, June 20, 2018. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
Wealthy widow Agnes McDonald drove her 1916 electric brougham around Spokane for more than 30 years and people would often note how the tiny elderwoman would park wherever she wanted. . The Rauch and Lang electric auto is now on display at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, where a digital screen displays this parking warning that was found in the car as it was being restored. Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review