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Today, tow trucks are a welcome site to stranded motorists across the globe, but lengthy history of the towing industry traces its roots back to the very first tow truck, built in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1916. The International Towing Museum and Hall of Fame in Chattanooga works to preserve the history of the towing industry while also raising awareness for tow truck operator safety.

With two floors of displays, the museum located at 3315 Broad St. in Chattanooga features a collection of historic tow trucks, ranging in age from a replica of the first tow truck, a 1913 Cadillac with Holmes 680 to a 2002 International tow truck.

“You never appreciate a tow truck until you need it,” Museum Director Cathy Brumgard said.

Brumgard said the museum was founded during the mid-1980s, when the Friends of Towing filled a tractor trailer with towing memorabilia and traveled the tow show circuit until the early 1990s.

 “Then at some point they decided they needed to not travel anymore and they decided to start a museum here in Chattanooga because the tow truck was invented in Chattanooga in 1916,” she said.

The brain child of Ernest Homes Sr., the tow truck was created after a Ford Model T was wrecked in the Chickamauga Creek and needed retrieving. Holmes, who operated an automotive repair garage on North Market Street, decided it made more sense to bring the vehicle back to his shop for repairs rather than try and fix it on the side of the road.

Holmes then came up with the original twin-boom wrecker, using a 1913 Cadillac as the base for the vehicle. The design allows for two independent swinging arms or “booms” that could be used for recovery and stabilization.

Brumgard said Cadillac and Packard automobile were popular choices for early tow truck conversions because of their weight and engine power.

Visitors to the International Towing Museum can get an up close look at a replica of this first tow truck, which was commissioned by the Holmes Company during the 1950s. The truck features a Holmes 680 wrecker.

Another favorite vehicle on display is a 1943 Diamond T 969-A with Holmes W-45. The truck was used in France following the Invasion of Normandy in 1944 as part of The Red Ball Express. The Model 969-A was the primary wrecker for the Red Ball Express, which served as the supply line created following the invasion of Normandy to bring supplies and maintain roads for the front lines. This particular truck was later returned to the United States and restored to its wartime appearance.

“That one is my favorite,” Brumgard said of the truck.

The museum is also home to the “World’s Fastest Tow Truck.” The 1979 Chevrolet C/K pickup is equipped with a 454 cubic inch big block engine rated at 330 horsepower. The truck also features a Holmes 440 Hi Power wrecker.

In addition to the vehicles themselves, the museum also features a collection of historic towing equipment. These are all the tools and accessories used throughout the decades by tow truck operators to get the job done, as well as a collection of tow truck peddle cars and the “World’s Largest” collection of toy tow trucks.

“It is just an interesting local history museum because of the fact that it was invented here in Chattanooga and we sit three miles from Ernest Holmes first factory,” Brumgard said. “I think people just love to get up close to big trucks and look at all the ins and outs of them.”

In addition to preserving the history of the towing industry, the International Towing Museum and Hall of Fame also works to raise awareness for tow truck operator safety.

In 2006, the museum added its Wall of the Fallen Memorial, which honors tow truck operators that have lost their lives in the line of service.

“Once a year we have a big ceremony out front,” Brumgard said.

Brumgard said on average, a tow truck operator is killed every six to 10 days.

“They see them, you have to see them,” she said. “They are lit, they wear the safety gear, and they are all trained in safety.”

Brumgard said distracted driving and driving under the influence are significant causes of tow truck operator deaths in the line of service.

While about 25-30 names are added to the Wall of the Fallen Memorial every year, that number is only a portion of those killed each year.

“Because of privacy we don’t pursue the families, we let them come to us,” Brumgard said.

For more information about the International Towing Museum and Hall of Fame, visit www. internationaltowingmuseum.org.