Grimes Garage - Hillsboro, TX - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

At the time it opened, there were only 3 or 4 cars in the area, and another 2 or 3 passing through daily. This was not enough to sustain the business and it soon closed.

But by 1913, the automobile had become more prevalent throughout the country, and Grimes Garage reopened. Besides replacing parts in his garage, Fred learned the machinist trade and made unavailable parts in his shop when necessary. At this time, automobiles arrived at the local dealers in parts and had to be assembled locally. Grimes would provide this service for $5 per car, later raising this to $7.50 per car. He also began the first wrecker service in Hill County.

Before Interstate 35, Waco Street in front of the garage was the major road between Dallas and Waco, and Hillsboro was a major transportation intersection point. Grimes worked hard to actively promote the highways that went through town, and he and others were successful getting these roads into the Old King of Trails association. This in turn led the Texas Highway Department, begun in 1917, to select Hill County as one of the first areas to see state-funded road improvements.

With 14 gas pumps, a machine shop, a repair shop, a tire store, 20 employees and free soft drinks to any customer who had to wait more than 30 seconds for service, Grimes Garage became the Neiman-Marcus of garages. Maids, dressed in white uniforms, greeted customers with ice water and ushered them into the first lounge and restrooms ever located in a service station.