...in both time and space. This beautiful bur mill was working at an engine show at Harrodsburg, Kentucky back in 1978 or 1979. Neat fact placing it for us is the Hagen gas engine in the background, just over the belt running the mill. It is a rare Kentucky built engine with a unique carburetion system. It's unmistakable, making for an easy engine identification quiz.
Here's a collection of photos we have from Midwest Old Threshers at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa from the 1950s into the early 2000s. If you have followed this blog for a while you will recognize many of the pictures.
Please note the pretty little Gaar Scott engine at 1:40 to 1:43. This engine belonged to Everett (Pat) Holtcamp of Winfield, Iowa. I remember seeing this engine in the Iron Men Album many years ago in a column by Gil Johnson of Wisconsin. Pat's two daughters were running the engine in his photo. I looked for it, but could not remember what issue of Iron Men it was in, so I did a Google search for Gil Johnson, Dairyland Driftings, and that column was number 1 in the results! Here's the link to it. Farm Collector owns the Iron Men archives now, but you can go have a look. 16 HP Holtcamp Gaar I did some searches looking for Pat's obit, but could not locate it. I did learn that his home burned in the early 90s, severely injuring him, and killing Gertrude, his wife. Sad news like that hits you as if it just happened...
Cooler weather should be moving in next week and we will push ahead with this sycamore project. Hickory and black oak trees also await!
We never tire of sunrise and sunset. It's a new show every time. This thunderhead near St. Louis provided a little crepuscular ray action the other day.
Merle picked a Must-See for engine lovers. Coolspring Power Museum is a collection that will overwhelm your senses. There is more history than you can imagine, and you should look up videos online to get a sample, then plan your trip to Pennsylvania. Thanks, Merle!
There are a few pieces from up high that I can pick up, but nearly all of this sycamore has to be handled by the loader. Rolling those big chunks around on the splitter is enough of a challenge for this old man! The moisture is checking out around 50%, and you can see free water come out when the wedge digs in. This will take a few days.
