5316 Daniel Ave.Evansville, Indiana 47712
Photos by Steve W. Deutsch
7500 Mesker Park Dr. Evansville, Indiana 47712
Kelly Duplex, Moline, Keck Gonnerman, Port Huron, Belgian Clop!
Clop! ‘Melon Special’, ‘Bang!’ ‘Puff!’,
SIAM. Wait a minute, has this writer gone crazy? Not really! I am
recalling the #2 Kelly Duplex burr mill owned by the Bill Thomas
family or the Moline cultivating tractor owned by Kenneth Durrel. I
also remember a Keck Gonnerman traction engine owned by John
Steinkuhl and do not forget the fine Belgian draft horses that were
grinding corn, owned by Ralph Buck. There were rows of
painstakingly restored gas engines showing proof of their owners
pride and attention to detail. Robert Armstrong’s 1946 Allis
Chalmers ‘G’ Melon Special looked as if it had just been
delivered and was ready to start cultivating our delicious Southern
Indiana watermelons.
These are just a few of the many sights at Southern Indiana
Antique and Machinery Club’s ‘THAW OUT ’88’. An
estimated 7,500 people enjoyed the many interesting exhibits,
working displays, as well as plenty of good food and drink. Over
240 gas engines, 60 antique tractors, 2 steam traction engines, 3
stationary steam engines, 50 antique cars, and 100 flea market
vendors shared space on the shady 170 acre 4-H grounds.
We wish to thank all our exhibitors, friends, and members who
worked so hard to help SIAM bring the past alive for a few short
days. Our 10th Anniversary Show will be held June 9-11th, 1989. We
will also celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Hercules Gas Engine
Company of Evansville, Indiana. We will feature Hercules-made
engines, memorabilia, original sales literature, and interviews
with former employees. This will be the largest display of
Hercules-made engines ever assembled! Come! Join us! Relive the
past!
