Hickory, Pennsylvania 15340.
The Fifteenth Annual Tri-State Historical Steam Engine Show was
held at the Hooks town Grange Fair Grounds, Hooks town, Pa. Fifteen
years ago, three men, owners of steam engines brought their engines
to this site to display them as a special feature of the fair. This
was done at their own expense. These three men were responsible for
the start of the Tri-State Historical Steam Engine Association.
They were Paul F. Crow, of Charleroi, Pa., C. R. Fullerton, of
Burgettstown, Pa., and M. Dean Fuller-ton, also of Burgettstown,
Pa. After this, Mr. Dean Fullerton invited a few other engine
owners to his farm where they put on a small display of their
engines. Threshing and baling were the attractions for this first
show. Fourteen exhibitions were held at the Dean Fullerton farm.
Due to illness it was necessary to find a new location for their
annual exhibition. The Association inquired of the Hooks town
Grange if they could hold their annual show on their grounds. The
Fair Board was agreeable and an arrangement was made. The show was
held Friday and Saturday, September the twenty-first and
twenty-second of this past year.
Fifteen traction steam engines were on hand performing the
chores for which they were originally intended. Two threshers were
in use, both hand-fed, one automatic-fed baler and one hand-fed
baler. A horse powered baler was also in use, powered by a
beautiful team of horses, owned by Everett Hartley, from North
Lima, Ohio. This team of Belgians were full sisters, one weighing
2,110 pounds, and the other 2,180 pounds–a lot of horse flesh.
Tom Hatcher and sons of New Concord, Ohio, were there with their
handmade scale model steam engines, one a ? inch scale model Case
engine and the other a ? inch scale model Case engine. Jim Cotter
of Alliquippa, Pa., had his small steam engines in operation.
Clark Colby of Taylors town, Pa., had his big gas pumping engine
running. This engine was originally used in the oil fields. There
were engines (gas) of all sizes and shapes brought to our show by
their proud owners. Untold hours had been spent in restoring them
to their original condition. There were over eighty gas engines.
Early gas tractors and oil pulls were also on hand.
Stone ground cornmeal and wheat flour was ground by the C. R.
Fullerton family. Four generations of Fuller tons were on hand to
help with the grinding, C. R. Fullerton being 80 years old and his
youngest great grand child only a few months old. There was a great
demand for both the cornmeal and the wheat flour. Mr.
Fullerton’s daughter, Mrs. William Henderson, and her family
pressed cider and it was sold to the thirsty crowd.
Two shingle mills were in operation and the spectators were
given a souvenir wood shingle.
As a special event for Friday and Saturday afternoons a wood
chopping demonstration was put on by the Cougar brothers of Webster
Springs, West Virginia. This was their second appearance at our
show, and in western Pennsylvania.
The ladies of the organization were on hand with their homemade
baked goods and other bazar items. They also sold subscriptions to
the Iron-Men Album and the Gas Engine magazines.
On Friday evening a pony pull was held and Saturday evening the
activities concluded with a garden tractor pull.
Even though this is basically a steam show, we felt the readers
of Gas Engine would be interested in a report, for no doubt some of
its readers attended the show and maybe had a gas tractor or engine
there.
When I arrived at the Stoltz vegetable and fruit farm, the only
visible crop was the orchard. Spark Plug John Stoltz was pruning
apple trees with gas-powered chain saw–useful but not a prize
antique.
