FRANK COULD MUSEUM

While working on the Steam and Gas Show Directory, a listing
arrived for a museum in North Spring field, Vermont. I knew it was
in southern Vermont where my husband and I planned to vacation. The
owner of the museum, Frank Gould, graciously invited us to come for
a visit.

We found his place just off Route 10 easily. We then turned on,
what else but, Gould Road where we found this creative entrance
made by Frank. I thought he definitely had to be a John Deere man!
Nestled among 12 acres of beautiful Vermont foliage, we found his
house, his dog, and many outbuildings filled with his beloved
treasures.

I liked Frank immediately. He was a big hearted, lover-of-life
kind of person who drew your attention. His talents were many,
including: mechanic, curator, storyteller, historian, and artist
with a blow torch. Now, this wasn’t all. He’s a cook,
sharing his blue ribbons won over the years at the Windsor County
Fair for his blueberry pie. Frank definitely is not an idle
person.

He looks forward to hosting the many school groups who come to
visit during syrup time. He told me that the children love having
hardboiled eggs dipped in syrup (I haven’t given this a try!)
When the sugar shack is not being used for syrup making, he can be
found capturing the beautiful Vermont scenery on canvas.

My favorite part of his museum was his six vintage washing
machines ranging from 1800 through 1936. The oldest agitating
washer in his collection was 1805. Shown in the photo below is a
1900 Cataract washer with a wringer and a rocking copper tub and
also a 1919 Gray Model Laun-Dry-Ette Serial #7025 UP. This model
would wash and dry without a wringer. His collection also included
a 1926 Maytag washer powered by a gas engine. After looking at
early household items like these washers, you can appreciate the
work involved in daily tasks that the women endured.

Frank’s collection has a lot of variety, including
everything from vintage John Deere models A, B & C tractors to
one-lung engines. In the one end of the building sat a corn husker
manufactured in 1854 by the Quaker Oats Co. belted to a 1? HP 1933
John Deere engine (pictured below.) There were cream separators
with dairy items, a 1931 2 HP Taylor vacuum pump and motor, a 1920
Montgomery Ward 2? HP orchard sprayer, a 1901 Sattley corn planter,
antique truck, farming implements both inside and out, a 1949 model
MC John Deere crawler, scale-model toys set up into a display, and
many tools. An early Gray wood saw manufactured in Middletown
Springs, Vermont, in 1846 was housed in a small outside exhibit.
This saw was originally horse drawn. Another unusual item was a
contraption called a Pullford, which was manufactured in Quincy,
Illinois. This was used to make a tractor of your car. I was trying
hard to picture that happening today! (Editor’s Note: See page
18 for a letter from the Pullford Company.) There were many engines
lined up on the shelves. Shown pictured on the right is a ? HP
Ideal, a 1 HP 1938 Fairbanks-Morse, and a 1921 2 HP Wonder engine.
On the top shelf (below) is a 1902 1 HP Alamo Blue Boy, a 1926 2 HP
Stover, and a 1918 1? HP Sattley manufactured by Montgomery, Ward
& Co., Chicago, Illinois. Pictured left on the second shelf
below is a 1937 Homelite 34 volt power plant.

Frank Gould loves to share his collection and his stories. If he
has anything to do with it, his legacy will live on for many years
to come.