Brief History of Kirk's-Sineath Motor Company

Sineath Motor Company was formed in 1925 by J.I. Sineath. The business was located at Battleground, Green and Bellemeade streets across from Central Fire Station in downtown Greensboro. The early tow trucks included a modified 1923 Buick Touring car fitted with a hand crank crane. The early downtown location offered automobile repair, both mechanical and body work, as well as selling gas and automotive parts. The wreckers were a necessity for bringing in wrecked and broken-down vehicles for repair or storage. We were staffed 24 hours, 7 days a week, just as we are today. Mr. Sineath purchased a 1940 Ford truck new and had Ford Body Company install a new Holmes 515 Traffic King wrecker. The wrecker was stored in Uptown Storage until needed for use.

There were several wreckers put into service in the first half of the 20th Century, including a 1932 Diamond T with a Holmes wrecker, a 1938 Ford with a Weaver wrecker unit, and a Dodge equipped with a Holmes wrecker and a large winch for heavy work. During this time, storage was 50 cents for 24 hours and car wash for $1.00. Times and the value of a dollar surely have changed.

In 1941, J.I. Sineath died unexpectedly and his service manager, A.T. Kirkman, was appointed administrator of the estate. Mr. Kirkman eventually bought the company and added the name "Kirk's" to create the current Kirk's-Sineath Motor Company. Mr. Kirkman and his wife, Hilda, ran the business much as it had been under Mr. Sineath, and it continued to prosper. Because of growth, the land at the original location was sold and the wrecker service moved to Forbis and Hughes Street during the war years. Sometime around 1945 and 1946, a new garage and body shop was built at 420 Battleground Avenue and the business remained at this location until 1958 at which time a new garage was built at 419 Battleground Avenue across the street where it operated with much success.

Again, tragedy struck with the untimely death of Mr. Kirkman in 1960, which was a very sad time for all. The business closed for the funeral only one hour. Many friends operated wreckers and answered the phone during the funeral. The Kirkmans were well known in the area and had many friends and relatives. Their daughter, Gail Kirkman, then came into the business to help her mother operate the company. Mother and daughter successfully ran the business for many years, along with the help of many loyal and dedicated employees.

Around 1966 Mrs. Kirkman and her daughter brought in Jesses Coltrane and Bruce Kirkman as partners. To help with office duties, Gail employed Becky Davenport and Judy Burnett. Becky remained with the company until 1999.

There were many experienced wrecker operators over the years. Those were A.W. Caudle, J.H. Coltrane, H.H. Crumbly and many more. Those that had aged out of operating wreckers or performing mechanical work were made dispatchers or team leaders such as Vernon Spencer, a senior employee. Many retired police officers such as Red Ford, L.H. Tillman, Bernie Ford, Hassel Johnson, plus a retired I.H.C. mechanic and shop foreman were also dispatchers. There were many good mechanics over the years, including Billy Perdue, Banks Gamble, and Jess Beal.

In 1966 the need for a heavy wrecker for recovery and off-road work is realized, so Mrs. Kirkman, Coltrane and Bruce Kirkman buy a military surplus 1953 International 6x6 with a Holmes 850 which is also equipped with 2 drag winches for heavy winching. This wrecker, W-10 “Big John” , allows the company to handle a wide variety of jobs that are impossible for the competition. In the 1970s, Mrs. Kirkman retires and stays on the board until her death in 1977. Gail, Coltrane and Bruce Kirkman continue on although the elder Mrs. Kirkman is greatly missed by all. At this point, the Moores come into play. Coltrane has to retire for health reasons and Gail and Bruce Kirkman approve of Coltrane selling his interest to Jack Moore. The company continued to grow adding some new equipment. Gail then decides to retire and sells her interest in the business to Jack and Bruce Kirkman. Jack brings his son Phil on board to learn the ropes. In 1978, Kirk's-Sineath buys land at 315 West Lee Street and builds a new shop and storage yard. At this point in time, the company has amassed many loyal employees such as Bruce Younts, Mike Boyles and others. Jack, Phil and Bruce Kirkman buy Cheek's Auto Parts. This is a good move for the company. Jack decides to manage the junk yard. At this point, Bryant Mclntyre becomes a partner. Now, Bruce Kirkman, Phil and Bryant run the towing side of the business. Jack and Phil decide to sell their interest in Kirk's-Sineath and buy full ownership of Cheek's Auto Parts. Larry Davenport now buys in as his wife has already been employed here for many, many years. In 1989 the company purchased a 1982 Autocar and had a brand new Century 1040 40-ton wrecker unit installed, which included a 3-stage boom and hydraulic wheel-lift, both cutting edge technologies of the time – cutting edge enough that competitors would sit and watch it work from a distance with binoculars. As the business expanded, the company bought acreage at 700 Patton Avenue and constructed a new shop facility, which opened in 1993. Larry, due to declining health, sold his interest in Kirk's-Sineath to Bruce Kirkman and Bryant Mclntyre in 1997. In July 1998, Mclntyre and Kirkman sold the business to an out-of-state group of investors who had wrecker companies in a number of states throughout the country. The current owners purchased the business in 2004 and it continues to grow, now offering more services than ever before. In 2025 we celebrated 100 years of service, from 1925 to 2025, and we’re still providing the same exemplary service that Mr. Sineath inaugurated over a century ago.

Brief History of Battleground Tire & Wrecker Service

Battleground Tire & Wrecker Service was started as Battleground Supermarket in the 1960s by brothers Robert and Tony Bowman. After some time Robert bought out Tony's share of the business and continued to expand the services offered. There were many years of hard work, long hours and sacrifice for Robert and his wife Betty, who worked from the startup of the business. In 1987, Robert and Betty’s son Steve Bowman became partner with Robert and the two continued to grow the business until 1998 when Steve bought Robert's half of the partnership becoming the second generation owner.

The business was and still is located on Highway 62 South just below the Alamance Battleground Historical site, from which our name originated. The supermarket was combined with a Texaco service station. Along with the supermarket and service station, home heating oil delivery was provided. In 1970, the towing aspect of the company came about by accident as Robert purchased a wrecker for resale purposes. After a few months the truck had not sold and a need was realized for it to support the service station which included an auto/truck repair bay. The first tow truck was a 1966 Chevrolet with a 10 ton Stringfellow. This was the first wrecker Steve learned to operate and continued its use until 2002. After a few years of learning the ropes of the towing business from the school of hard knocks, on-the-job-training, and trial and error, the business recognized a need for a more efficient way to tow cars and added a second wrecker in 1974, a Vulcan cradle snatcher. Along with towing, mobile tire service was added in 1972. In 1975, the repair business incorporated heavy equipment repairs creating a need for a larger wrecker, so a Holmes 600 was added. At the time this was one of the largest wreckers in the area. In 1984, the first tandem wrecker was purchased, a new 1984 Peterbilt 359 with a 40-ton Atlas wrecker unit, which is still in service. As business increased and needs diversified, more and different equipment was required, with service trucks, rollbacks, and additional wreckers being added. Also added was an air-cushion recovery system to aid in heavy recovery work. The air-cushions are still in service today and are a major asset. The company applied for and received ICC authority in the late 80's expanding its area of service nationwide.

Over the decades Battleground would concentrate more on the towing, recovery, mechanical, and tire work, and eventually phased out groceries, gas, and home heating oil. In 1977, a new office, 5 bay shop, and 2 bay tire center was built across the highway from the original location, which is the same location we are in today.

Battleground's history is rich with community support and involvement working with the State Highway Patrol, local rescue units, fire, police, and sheriff departments. Along with supporting local agencies, the company has continued involvement with towing associations such as the Towing and Recovery Association of America and the Towing and Recovery Professionals of North Carolina, and North Carolina Trucking Association.

For almost 40 years the Bowman family worked to build Battleground into a dependable and reputable business, which required much time, effort, and care.

In 2007 Steve Bowman sold the business to the owners of Kirk’s-Sineath. Over 50 years after Robert Bowman opened his supermarket, the company continues to strive to maintain the dependability and reputability that the Bowmans worked so hard to achieve.