Prescott, Arizona was a small community in the first half of the twentieth century. Founded in 1864, it became the Territorial Capital from 1864-1867, and subsequently from 1877 - 1889 before Phoenix became the capital. One illustration of this fact was that the Prescott School System got its first school bus in 1928, a Studebaker with a Crown Coach body.

By 1947 the school system bought only their 4th bus, a 1947 Dodge with a Superior Coach body, miraculously the one you see in the photo below. Bus #4 served the school system well for approximately 30 years, into the 1970s. Residents remember the bus taking students on field trips as well as the daily routine of delivering children to and from school.

Towards the end of #4’s use in the Prescott School System, it was considered a demerit if you had to ride the aged bus. The bus served as a storage shed in its second life for a few decades at the Prescott Auto Wrecking salvage yard on Vyne Street in Prescott.

Dan Hampelman bought Prescott Auto Wrecking in the late eighties and saved a few cars and Bus #4 out of the yard. Dan moved the bus out to Chino Valley and kept it there until 2002. He then contacted the Sharlot Hall Museum as he recognized the historical value to the local community and the museum then referred him to the PUSD. He then donated it to the PUSD sending it back to where it came from.

The school had noble plans to restore #4, but budget constraints curtailed any efforts to do so. The bus then sat alongside the bus barn off Hinman Street until 2015. Prescott Antique Auto Club member Pat Mackin always had it in his mind to try to get the bus from the school system for the club as a donation, but public entities have complications dispensing owned property.

The bus was put up for public auction at the school’s annual surplus auction. Pat luckily saw it listed in the paper and with the help of a fellow club member was able to purchase Bus #4. It was then voted on by the club to adopt the bus as a restoration project to add another unique local artifact to the community like the Prescott Fire Ladder 1 fire truck. Having the 4th school bus bought new here locally is quite remarkable.

Restoration began soon after the club’s adoption with the front suspension, which was missing. It was found, restored, and put back in place. The brake system has been restored along with the underside of the bus including resealing the rear differential.

An original-style Chrysler 6-cylinder engine, donated by Don Petty of Phoenix, has been rebuilt and is ready for installation along with the clutch and standard transmission. Through Pat’s and others’ vision for the past 20 years or so the club has almost everything needed for the restoration including the seats.

So, the next saga in the life of Bus #4 is underway through the efforts of members of the Prescott Antique Auto Club. The future for the bus is to be in parades and on display at shows and PUSD functions.

Sidebar Article

by Jim Schultz and Penn Lenson

Jim Schultz and Penn Lenson are members of the Prescott Antique Auto Club (PAAC) in Prescott, Arizona. The PAAC was formed in November of 1969, by a group of interested car enthusiasts, for the purposes of acquiring, restoring, and exhibiting antique and vintage production, and special interest vehicles, and to further promote activities for the mutual enjoyment of the members and their families.

Today the membership number is 260. Over the years they have shared their passion with that of the community, which has included a 1926 Durant Star Touring car, on display at the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, a 1931 Seagrave ladder fire truck, and the 1947 Dodge School Bus. All vehicles are restored to their original and full operational capacities. This is the first of several articles that will follow the 1947 Dodge School Bus restoration.