James H. McCabe, son of Thomas McCabe, apprenticed with Moulton and Remington, a Providence, Rode Island carriage company.  He learned the art and trade of a carriage smith, earning $3.25 weekly for first year of service.  After three years, he went onto Boston to further his experience with Whittier and Bros. Fine Carriage Makers, and returned briefly to the Providence firm after the agreed sting in Boston.  It was inevitable that he would go West.  His opportunity was a wagon shop in Crete, Nebraska, where he repaired wagons for the unending lines of settlers.  There were Indians, usually seen on the horizon, but once a band of braves galloped to him, their whoops bringing back stories of burning and scalping.  They merely wanted sandpaper for sharpening arrows.  McCabe had promised a year, and he stayed it out, but felt that he was wasting his carriage-making experience.  The dream of plowing uncut prairies was not for him.  He left the Blue River Country with no regrets, and went to St. Louis.

Mr. McCabe joined Thomas O'Farrell  to form his first company, "James H. McCabe and Thomas O'Farell, Carriage Builders".  They made wagons, light buggies, and a few fine carriages.  In 1877, he acquired a fully partnership in Michael-Young Carriage Company, opening an even larger carriage factory in St. Louis.  Against competition of St. Louis' well established carriage makers, the McCabe insistence on fine workmanship and reliability kept the firm growing.

Vehicles of all sorts were needed in the movement of people and goods in the '80s and '90s.  McCabe and Young Carriage Co. built them.  John J. Rich bought into the firm in 1889, the name became McCabe-Young and Company.  In 1896, a new employee, Edward J. Powers, a recent graduate of Christian Brothers College, joined the firm.  The following year, Both Mr. Young and Mr. Rich died.  Paul H. Bierman became a major partner, and young Edward Powers bought a substantial share in the firm.  The name became McCabe-Bierman Wagon Company.  In 1906, Mr. Powers bought out Bierman's interest and the firm name became McCabe-Powers Carriage Company.