Nothing stays the same
Erma Dickey Wonstetler was appointed assistant Postmaster of the tiny U.S. Post Office in Signal, Ohio, in 1906, at the same time as her...
Horse drawn plows: Just a matter of preference
Someone recently asked me why some horse drawn plows throw the furrow to the left, while others (most in fact) throw them to the...
A wooden grain drill with a link to Signal, Ohio
Wilbur George, a friend from near Carrollton, told me he had an old, wooden grain drill that he had bought some years ago at...
R & P Republic tractors highlight early ag manufacturing
As everybody knows, there were many, many manufacturers who tried their hand at building tractors back when the world was young.Most of these didn't...
Farm news: Some things haven’t changed in the last 70 years
As some of you may have gathered, I have an extensive collection of old farm magazines from the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. I like...
Getting his bearings: Timken’s quest to Canton
How many times have I driven Route 30 through Canton, Ohio, and passed the big Timken factory with its many tin stacks topped by...
Meat and potatoes: A look back at life through food
Probably 20 years ago, I was prevailed upon by my late cousin Peg Townsend to write down recollections from my childhood.At first I was...
These rusty iron buyers helped boost economy
This past fall, Oct. 23-24, to be exact, Aumann Auctions were in charge of dispersing the large collection of antique tractors and paper ephemera...
Where exactly did the word ‘tractor’ come from?
In his comprehensive book about building Hart-Parr and Oliver tractors at Charles City, Iowa, John D. Culbertson wrote the following under the heading "1906":...
What farmers, families were reading 60 years ago
I was just looking through the January 1950 issue of Farm Journal magazine (cover price: 20 cents), and here's what farmers and their wives...
