Epiphany...the Creative Endeavors of Shae Leighland-Pence

T his is the only known 1949 Dodge Hearse ever manufactured, built by J.C. Little. Originally from Scotland, John J.C. Little (1888-1971) started his North American career as a coachbuilder at Canada's largest coachbuilder, the O.J. Mitchell Hearse Company of Ingersoll, Ontario. He built his first home-built coach sometime in 1937 and by 1940 had saved up enough money to open his own body shop. From his small shop, which was located in the service bays of an Ingersoll Shell station, Little produced a series of hand-built professional coaches until he closed in the late Fifties. He specialized in modifying regular wheelbase production vehicles into sedan-ambulances and funeral cars.¹

Found in a small town museum in Ingersoll, Ontario, by the last owner, the car is currently unrestored. Completely unrestored.  It is the ex tour vehicle of the band THE TOMBSTONES of Owen Sound, Ontario. Various parts of the adventure to recover this, ahem, professional car, are posted under Buffalo, Johnsonburg and Crossing Over. The saga behind this adventure can be absorbed here. 

The Tombstones

James Wayner (aka Mr. Blues) - (1947 - 31 March 2007)  - Singer, songwriter, drummer and harmonica player  - Was a member of The Bearcats, Georgia Strait, The Sharks, Sounder and The Tombstones.  On his web site, now expired, he said of the Tombstones, "This is the band that started all for me... went out with my friend Scotty to watch him audition for a band we knew nothng about. We both wanted to be drummers. e got the job and I was depressed because now he had a band and I didn't. We started jamming and I grabbed a microphone and started o sing what I thought was the blues. I never sang before in my ife. Well guess what?  They decided to have two singers in the band. Wow my first band and boy was it fun. rom there on I never looked back! *wink*.  We have had two reunions so far, which were complete sell outs. There wasn't too many places we didn't play in Ontario, Canada. REAT memories and great times."

The JC Little Hearse

For the very brave, see this car on fire and another video, sans pyro (both done by the previous owner of the car).

1. Excerpt from an article on Coachbuilt.