Pieces of History
West Virginian’s extensive collection of old farming equipment reveals pieces of history
Paul Darst
September 1998
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A horse-drawn road grader sits in a field next to Ralph Davis' house in Macfarlan, W. Va. It is one of several pieces of antique farm equipment in his collection, which is likely one of the largest private holdings in the state.
Photo by Paul Darst
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To the untrained eye, the collection in Ralph Davis' barn might look like junk he has collected over the years.
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Everything from old kitchen utensils and toys to washing machines and motorcycles can be found in his Ritchie County barn.
But a closer look at the extensive collection reveals that more than odds and ends have been stored. Ralph's collection contains pieces of history.
Ralph has what could be one of the largest private antique collections in West Virginia.
"A friend of mine wants me to take all of this and make a regular museum in Harrisville," Ralph said.
"He doesn't know what he's asking for... It would take quite a few pickup trucks to carry all of this off."
Ralph, 70, has collected antiques since he was 10 years old.
"I just have always liked old stuff," he said.
The first of the old stuff that visitors see when they pull up the long, steep driveway to his hilltop home is old farming equipment. In a small field next to his house, Ralph has multiple pieces of history, including horse-drawn farm equipment, including a hay rake, a McCormick grain drill and a road grader.
His antique collection involves more than just finding and storing pieces of the past. For Ralph, it also involves restoration. He has 12 walk-behind tractors, some dating to the 1920s, all of which run.
"I get all the motors to run," he said. "Some of them are frozen up when I get them, but I try to restore them."
Ralph has restored several small, water-cooled gasoline engines. He paints them their original color.
Many of his small engines were used in the oil industry. Much of the retired Pennzoil worker's collection can be used to trace the history of the oil business in the area. Ralph has donated pieces of his collection to the Oil and Gas Museum in Parkers-burg.
One engine he keeps running has special memories for him. It is the engine that powers a 1930 Ford Model A pickup.
"That's the automobile I learned to drive in," he said. "It's all original, oogah horn and all."
Ralph has a German tape measure and a German flashlight that were acquired by a friend during World War II. For the flashlight to work, a lever connected to a small generator must be pumped by hand.