Tumbleweed Smith
DAN COLLECTS CARS AND BUILDINGS
Dan Markman worked on his high school newspaper in Meridian.
“We’re the Yellow Jackets here in Meridian,” says Dan. “And I was on the Jacket Jabber staff.”
His father had a feed store in Meridian. The family car was a 1951 Kaiser.
“That was my first car in high school, a hand me down family 51 Kaiser.”
Years later he bought a 1951 Kaiser.
“After I started my family I remarked that if I ever had the chance to buy a 51 Kaiser I’d buy it. One day my 13-yearold son told me he found one in the newspaper and not only was it a Kaiser but it was a 51 Kaiser. We immediately went out and bought it and we still have that car. We’ve had it 35 years.”
Dan has other cars.
“We have eighteen or nineteen cars. Our preference is what are called orphans. The manufacturer shut down and the models are non-existent. So we like Kaisers, we like Packards, we like Studebakers, we like Hudsons. So we’ve got four Kaisers, a Fraser, couple of Packards, a Studebaker. Right now I’m looking for an AMC Pacer and a Gremlin and Hudson Hornet. They’re basically post war vehicles.”
His cars are in two barns on his sheep farm in Meridian. “I see us as preserving a bit of automotive history because we like the orphans.” One of his cars is truly collectible.
“It’s a 1954 Kaiser Darrin. It’s a sports car. They only made 287 of them. At auction it’s bringing upwards of two hundred thousand dollars. That’s our piece de resistance.”
Dan’s farm is a popular place for car lovers.
“In the last year we’ve had the state Rolls Royce club meet here for lunch. We had 77 cars here. We have 2 Rolls Royces, a 57 and a 76. The Bentley club from the Gulf Coast also came here. We own a 2019 Bentley. Last week we had the Ford Club out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We really enjoy hosting the owners of these beautiful vehicles and they enjoy getting out and driving around the countryside.”
Dan moved to Houston and got into the insurance business, but he returns to his hometown every month.
“I kind of have a new project. About four years ago I started buying buildings around the courthouse. I own nine of them. I’m trying to rejuvenate downtown Meridian.”