In 1994, when Bill Hexamer of Washington., Ill., purchased a 1927 Cadillac Victoria Coupe painted black from a man in Midway, Texas, he had no idea this classic antique car had a once strong connection with two prominent Albert Lea families.

He said the condition of the car was “solid” but not in running condition.

In 1999, Hexamer had this car taken to Sterling Restorations in Sterling, Ill. For two years, this company completely restored the Cadillac to its original condition. During this time, several facts regarding the vehicle’s past became apparent.

First, in a few places under the brush-painted black finish was evidence that the car’s original exterior colors were tusk ivory and glacier green.

Second, in the glove box or in some cranny was found a small card dated April 30, 1927, which said the car’s owner was Virginia Watland of Albert Lea. Also, this card showed the vehicle had been purchased from Northwestern Cadillac Co. of Minneapolis.

This discovery of the ownership card, plus several insurance cards, presented Hexamer with several challenges. One was finding out more about Miss Watland and Albert Lea. Another was trying to figure out the car’s connection between Minnesota and Texas.

Hexamer is a member of the Greater Illinois Region of the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA). By checking the roster of the CCCA, he made contact with a local member of the Upper Midwest Region. Thus, Dennis Brue and his wife, Roxanne, of Albert Lea, were able to do the research needed to fill in the details regarding the car’s original owner and the Albert Lea and Texas link.

Virginia Watland was the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Jorgenson. On her 16th birthday, the grandparents purchased the Cadillac as a special present. According to Brue’s or Hexamer’s research, the vehicle cost $3,195, or the equivalent of seven 1927 Model-T Fords.

In 1927, Cadillac offered 50 body styles and 500 color and upholstery combinations. By contrast, Henry Ford supposedly said people purchasing one of his car models could have it in any color as long as it was black.

Jorgenson was a Danish immigrant who came to Albert Lea in 1870. He had a bakery and eventually became the owner of the Hotel Albert. His daughter, Myrtie, married Dr. Albert O. Watland, a dentist who also started what’s still the Motor Inn Co. in 1908.

It’s at this point that a factor regarding the car’s color scheme became apparent. It matched the colors on the Victorian-style home at 312 Grove Ave. which had been built for the Jorgensons in 1885.

In time, this home was acquired by her parents and became known as the “Watland Home,” and it’s where Virginia grew up.

She graduated from Carlton College in Northfield during 1934 and later earned a master’s degree in piano from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.

A notation in the 1988 Freeborn County Heritage book states she inherited Hotel Albert in 1938 and owned the property for many years.

Virginia eventually became a part-time resident of McAllen, Texas, where she also owned a home. This explains the car’s connection with that state. Evidently, she drove the colorful Cadillac from Albert Lea to Texas and back on many occasions.

In 1972, she sold the Watland Home and it, like several other historic homes on Grove Avenue, was demolished in 1973 as part of the project to build a new Naeve Hospital.

Virginia sold the 1927 Cadillac Victoria Coupe sometime prior to June 1965. She died on Nov. 12, 1991, and is buried in Graceland Cemetery.

However, her birthday present of 83 years ago is now being preserved and can serve as a reminder of two Albert Lea families and as a part of American automotive history.

Only three restored 1927 Cadillac Victoria Coupes are known to exist today. One is at the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Ind., the second is in Tasmania, Australia, and the third is owned by Bill and Virginia (Ginny) Hexamer.

Special thanks go to the Hexamers and Dennis and Roxanne Brue for providing the material and photos used for this story.