A History of Serro Scotty Trailers

A History of Serro Scotty
Trailers
" Travel Right, Travel Light, The Scotty Way !!"
"John Serro"
Serro Scotty
Pennsylvania
Nominated to RV/MH Hall of Fame in 1987
A pioneer travel trailer manufacturer, he developed his company building small 10-13 foot long
garagable units, he served on the RVIA Board and the Pennsylvania RVCA board. He was the first
manufacturer to develop a campground exclusively for owners of his brand of trailers." from the
RV/MH Heritage foundation, Inc.
1956:
John Serro started building the Scotty trailer, a 16 1/2 footer, in his barn at Irwin Pennsylvania.
It is still displayed at Scottyland. It was big, bulky, and too top heavy but luxurious. It included
an all wood interior and many extras. Unfortunately it was not received well by the motoring
public so back to the drawing board John went.
1957:
This year he created a 10 foot teardrop and it didn't go over big either. Serro Scotty Jr., as it
was known as, were bought by dealers as a novelty items, people would stop to see them and
dealers hoped they would by a big trailer, they were a gimmick, you could say, to get people to
stop.
In July an idea comes to him, while on vacation, for the 13 foot Sportsman. He cuts the
vacation short in order to get home and build this NEW idea.
He brings his 13 foot creation to the MidWest Trailer show in Elkhart, Indiana on the final day
and steals the show with orders for 18 trailers. He secures manufacturing space in Irwin, PA.
Thus was born the Serro Travel Trailer Co. 450 Arona Rd. Irwin, PA .
Pictures Courtesy of Jerry Frietag
1958 and 1959:
10 foot model with a rear door was called the Sportsman, Jr. and a "New design", the 13 foot
model called the Sportsman, Sr., included the now famous "Step down interior". His idea for an
affordable, lightweight, garagable travel trailer that could be bought by the average homeowner
of the time was a success. They were a hit and the rest is history. Thousands were sold over
the years with the originals being polished aluminum, today lovingly called "silversides". Did you
know that….Silversides were only built in the summer, spring , fall not the winter. they oxidized
in the cold weather.
A rare Scotty, which appears to have been offered only during 1959 and 1960, is the 12'
version with a door in the rear instead of on the side.
1960
They added a 15 foot model. Floor plans included a front kitchen with a bathroom/closet and
large dinette, or substitute a side table & rear couch for the commode. And in the ads, an option
on the 13 foot was wings ( the trailers wheels cut outs ) attached to the upper rear. These wings
were offered 'til 1961 but rival Shasta Travel Trailer objected and threatened a lawsuit so John
no longer put wings on his Scottys.
1961:
The Sportsman, Jr. is discontinued but Scotty continues to offered both a 13 and 15 foot
silverside models now called the Gaucho and a 15 foot "Front Kitchen" model.. In 1962, the
15 foot "Front Kitchen" model was no longer offered.
1962:
In February, Serro Scotty officials and some Scotty owners met to discuss starting a official
Scotty Club. March of that year, the Serro Scotty Owners Association. (SSOA) was
organized. Annual dues was $5.00. By 1973, there were 56 chapters of the SSOA club from
Florida to Oklahoma . You could join and get together with Scotty owners in your area. John
even put out a newsletter for the group, called the Scotty Trails. If you ever see a Scotty with
numbers on the front & back, the letters were the State, the first numbers were the chapter and
the last numbers were the assigned number of that trailer in the club. I fondly remember John
Serro and his lovely wife Anna coming in their highlander to our Chapter campouts.
John & Anna Serro approx. 1970 taken by Everett Clark
1963:
A plant opened in Bristow, Oklahoma, the polished aluminum trailers began to be painted the
famous
Scotty Turquoise and Polar White.
1964:
Introduction of a new 15 foot model known as the "Split Level Hi-Lander". Notice bump up
behind door !
John opened a campground in Rockwood PA. exclusively for Scotty owners called
"Scottyland USA". With 500 trailer sites for a fee of $1.00 for the first day and 75 cents for
each additional day, Scotty owners enjoyed the many amenities the campground had to offer….
Modern restrooms, washer & dryers, pavilion, rec hall, playground, chapel and a fishing pond
set on 230 acres in the “Laurel Highlands recreation area of southwest Pennsylvania“.
At the end of the season usually Labor Day weekend, The National Rally were held there.
Thousands attended. This included fun activities: meals, dances, games, etc. which was topped
off with a Miss Scottyland Pageant and parade. Each year had a theme and the Scotty owners
always out-did themselves. Even today you can still have a ride on the original Scottyland
Express. Check out their website @ http://www.scottylandrvresort.com/ .
1966:
A 17 1/2 foot fiberglass model, called the Royal Scot was created and advertised. They were
very much top of the line and full of extras. But because of the cost, over $2895 and their heavy
weight, they were not really put into production.
At this time, the front kitchen Tonga, was introduced in the 13 foot model.
1968:
Another plant was opened, this one in Ashburn, Georgia.
1969:
Only the 13 and 15 foot Gauchos, and the 15 foot HiLander were offered.
1971:
Up until this time, the interior of the Scotty trailers had been painted a light blue with black and
white specs. Now the interiors are wood-grained vinyl.
1972:
The overhead Window in the Hi-Lander was no longer available. John changed the design
because of leakage problems.
1973:
a version of the Hi-Lander with a storage "trunk" on the outside back of it and called the
Trunkback was offered. And a different color on a Scotty? A gold color was added to the
bottom front of the exterior along with the turquoise.
Over the years the company made many limited production Scottys , sometimes using odds
and ends of whatever was in the warehouse at the time. One type being a Gaucho model that
had a full-time mattress instead of the pull-out couch (gaucho). And, another which had added
storage and a wardrobe.
Other things made by Scotty: a truck camper, The Scotty Scooter (a moped) & roof top
carriers. Also…. The Scotty Pup was a utility trailer made by Serro Scotty. They took the
chassis of a Scotty added three sides like the trailers but cut off about 2 and 1/2 foot to 3 feet
and added a drop tailgate and then toped it off with a Pick up truck cap.
During the late 70's, many color schemes and designs were tried... There are some strange
colored Scottys that are still lurking in Scottyland today.
Scotty souvenirs :
Over the years the Serro Scotty Trailer Co. had a variety of promotional items and collectibles:
Mugs, glasses, pens, ashtrays, serving trays, playing cards, jewelry, leather first ad kits, etc. etc.
John would bring these items to his dealers and his SSOA clubs to give away. I know since I
have a tray presented to my father, Everett Clark, during his tenure as New England Chapter 30
president in the year 1970. Today these items are much sought after and treasured by the
Scotty owners.
1979:
John Serro went to a full line of trailers, from 13 to a 50 foot park model. The colors were now
orange and brown and the unique Turquoise Scotty was no more.
1980 ish, Scotty Ashburn plant closes and a couple of employees take it over and opened it up
under the name Scotty Company, they could not use the word Serro anywhere. They were built
the same as the Irwin Scottys too, same color, building tech. same everything.
1990’s : The Scotty color again changed to a blue and white. They even made a 25’ Scotty
motor home built on a Dodge chassis.
John Serro continued manufacturing trailers until the plant burned down in April of 1997.
Tragically all records were lost.
1997:
SERRO-SCOTTY RV OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY CATCHES FIRE
. . . . . . . . April 25, 1997 by PA. Dept. of Environmental protection
The Southwest Regional Emergency Response Team and Community Relations staff
responded to a fire at Serro-Scotty RV in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County,
Thursday, April 17. The facility, which parallels the Pennsylvania Turnpike,
manufactures recreational trailers and motor homes. The engulfed building contained a
number of hazards, including propane tanks, various volume fuel tanks, drums of latex
glue, paints and thinners and 200 tires. Many of the materials, including the tires and
propane tanks, did not catch fire. While a large quantity of smoke was generated, air
quality was not a problem due to brisk wind. Additionally, runoff was not a concern as
firefighters used minimal amounts of water.
The facility plant engineer has asked DEP's assistance in building demolition and
material disposal. The building was a total loss for owners, who are looking for a new
work space for more than 60 employees.
Following the fire, The Serro Travel Trailer Co. received so much support from individuals,
large companies and local clergy that the company was able to find a new site within 10 days.
"We never thought of closing the doors," says Anne Degre, vice-president & John Serro‘s
granddaughter. "We received 75 phone calls within two days helping us find a new facility."
Following the loss of their original facility, the Pirschl family decided on a name change for the
company. It is now called Mobile Concepts by Scotty, with the little black Scotty dog remaining
as a familiar trademark.
http://www.scottyrv.com/index.html They now make Police and Fire Safety trailers.
1998: John Serro dies, leaving behind a legacy that we, Serro Scotty Enthusiasts, are eternally
grateful for. In loving memory we thank him.
History of the Serro Scotty Camper Enthusiasts
1998:
A Scotty owner by the name of Alan Colwell from Rochester NH was looking for information
on his Scotty and there didn't seem to be any. Thus was born the Serro Scotty Camper
Enthusiasts. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Serro_Scotty_Camper_Enthusiasts/
Alan wrote:
"It's been a while since I sent anything out to let everyone know what, why and how we got to
where we are today. I think that this little story will help some of the new members that don't
know , My name is Alan Colwell (aka: ScottyAl) I was born in July of 1958 and raised in
Rochester, New Hampshire. Over the years I have lived in Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode
Island. I have been married to Jessica my Bride for 14yrs. and have 3 girls and 1 boy for
children. My oldest son and daughter from a previous marriage are out and living on their own
and the 2 youngest, Samantha-13 and Sarah-8 are living at home and love to go camping with
us. They both say they are saving their money so they can buy their own Scotty or a Teardrop
someday. I have also done many things, From a Supervisor for the State of New Hampshire,
Police Officer, Animal Control Officer and an Owner Operator Truck Driver. Back in The
spring of 1998 I parked my Tractor/Trailer and started driving local so that I could be home
every night with my family. WOW was it great to see them every night and not every 2 to 3
months. And then in the fall of 1997 I had a series of 2 separate Strokes. We had just
purchased our 1971 Hi-Lander and now the Scotty was on the back burner so to speak. Now
I was going to have to start the recovery process if I wanted to do anything with the Scotty.
Then move forward to around August 1998 I was getting pretty bored with looking out the
windows and watching television. So I started out slow, 5 to 10 minutes a day was it at 1st,
cleaning and just looking to see what I was going to need and do to make this Scotty capable to
take camping again. That was all well and good but I had no idea where to find anything out
about the Serro Scotty Company. I sent letters, called campgrounds and RV dealers and
anyone that we could think of that might know something about these campers. We even
searched the Internet and all we could find there was some guy that was complaining about his
Scotty Motor home. So around November 1998 the only alternative was to start the Serro
Scotty Camper Enthusiasts Group. It started out very slow at first, but as time went on more
and more members joined that where far more knowledgeable about these little campers than
we were. Through the years I have either met or just corresponded through email some of the
best people. I have realized that people aren't bad, but Scotty people are the best people that
you will ever meet. In 2000 my Bride and I started talking about a Rally like the ones they use
to have in the past at Scottyland USA. We did a lot of long distance planning and it was all set
to have our very 1st Serro Scotty Camper Enthusiasts Rally. People had made reservations and
the time was getting close. Then it all went down hill from there. I had my 1st of 3 heart attacks.
With thanks to people like Keith Trimmer and Jerry Frietag the Rally went on, it wasn't pretty,
but it was the 1st Rally in a number of years at Scottyland USA. Soon after I returned home
from the hospital I received flowers from a group member that lives in Dalton, GA, that I had
never met before, Thanks again Joel. (see what I mean about Scotty people) since that time we
have had 3 more National Rallys under the direction of Keith Trimmer. This year the "05 Rally"
it is to be handled by many talented members most of which come from the Mid-Atlantic
Chapter. As of this February 2005, we now have hundreds of members that belong to this
group. We have members from 37 states and Canada. Regional Chapters are being formed and
many weekends a year see Scotty owners gathering together for camp outs and there Local
Rallies. Or even just potlucks to share the camaraderie of owning one of these unique little
trailers. I now own 2-13' Silverside Gaucho's and my original 15' Hi-lander, 23' newer model
and a Class C motor home. If it isn't obvious this group means the world to me. I am here way
more than I should be. But it has been and continues to be a great time for me and I hope that it
is for you too. "
Happy Camping,
Group Founder
Alan,(ScottyAl)
2005 : With the help and expertise of Larry Bush, the SSCE website was established. All the
Scotty news and information can be found there. http://www.serroscottycamperenthusiasts.org
2006: February 6th - Alan Colwell, founder of the SSCE group died. Leaving his legacy and
love of Scotty to live on in his family and friends. His group continues to flourish and will
continue under the leadership of his wife Jessie and many people who support her and her
family.
This 2006 history was composed by Donna & Kevin McCarthy
from many sources, including Ann Degre ( John Serro‘s granddaughter) & Scotty RV news,
Alan Colwell, Jerry Freitag, Jeanne Keith, Kathy Hanley Dickson (Miss Scottyland USA
1970), Nancy Kroes, and excerpts from an article by Bob Harts from the Pittsburgh Press.