Crossroads of Dixie Show Going Strong

By Leslie C. Mcmanus
Published on January 1, 2008
1 / 11
Now owned by the grandson of the original owner, this Huber LC (serial no. 12951) was built on Feb. 11, 1938. “We still have the original invoice,” says Robert Alexander. A Huber no. 3 jack is shown by the tractor’s back wheel.
Now owned by the grandson of the original owner, this Huber LC (serial no. 12951) was built on Feb. 11, 1938. “We still have the original invoice,” says Robert Alexander. A Huber no. 3 jack is shown by the tractor’s back wheel.
2 / 11
Display of Farmalls owned by Carroll and Jason Hicklen, Blanche, Tenn., shown at the Crossroads of Dixie show in 2007.
Display of Farmalls owned by Carroll and Jason Hicklen, Blanche, Tenn., shown at the Crossroads of Dixie show in 2007.
3 / 11
Dean Nix’s handsome Ferguson FE-35. The tractor has a British-built Standard Motor Co. engine; the unique color scheme was used for just one year.
Dean Nix’s handsome Ferguson FE-35. The tractor has a British-built Standard Motor Co. engine; the unique color scheme was used for just one year.
4 / 11
A 1938 John Deere unstyled BWH, one of 51 built, owned by Cass Flagg, Taylorsville, Ga.
A 1938 John Deere unstyled BWH, one of 51 built, owned by Cass Flagg, Taylorsville, Ga.
5 / 11
This Ferguson TO-35 is owned by the Richard Nix family, Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
This Ferguson TO-35 is owned by the Richard Nix family, Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
6 / 11
Billy and Jean Millaway’s 1933 Worthington Model B. The Model B was produced from 1933 to 1939; 430 units were built.
Billy and Jean Millaway’s 1933 Worthington Model B. The Model B was produced from 1933 to 1939; 430 units were built.
7 / 11
Original hubcap for the Worthington “Air Balloon Wheel.”
Original hubcap for the Worthington “Air Balloon Wheel.”
8 / 11
Charles Hood’s Series 2 Field Marshall is water-cooled with two radiators. A 12-gauge shotgun shell is used to start the engine. The tractor is unusual in Tennessee. “Nobody else around here has a Field Marshall,” Charles says.
Charles Hood’s Series 2 Field Marshall is water-cooled with two radiators. A 12-gauge shotgun shell is used to start the engine. The tractor is unusual in Tennessee. “Nobody else around here has a Field Marshall,” Charles says.
9 / 11
10 / 11
William Kilgore (left) and H.A. Threet with William’s 1952 Ford 8N. William is the tractor’s second owner; the Ford’s original owner’s manual is among his prized possessions.
William Kilgore (left) and H.A. Threet with William’s 1952 Ford 8N. William is the tractor’s second owner; the Ford’s original owner’s manual is among his prized possessions.
11 / 11
A 100 hp cold start Fairbanks, Morse & Co. engine from the 1930s chugs into action. Owned by father and son Charles Clanton and Chris Clanton, the engine was originally used to power a Livingston, Ala., cotton gin. The Clantons hauled the 2-cylinder, 29,600-pound monstrosity 50 miles to the Crossroads show from their home in Florence, Tenn. “I would like to set it in front of our house but my wife won’t let me,” Charles says with a smile. His collection includes several big boys ranging from 60 hp to 180 hp. “I guess I like what other people can’t handle,” he says. His Fairbanks features its original 3 hp Fairbanks-Morse pony starter engine.
A 100 hp cold start Fairbanks, Morse & Co. engine from the 1930s chugs into action. Owned by father and son Charles Clanton and Chris Clanton, the engine was originally used to power a Livingston, Ala., cotton gin. The Clantons hauled the 2-cylinder, 29,600-pound monstrosity 50 miles to the Crossroads show from their home in Florence, Tenn. “I would like to set it in front of our house but my wife won’t let me,” Charles says with a smile. His collection includes several big boys ranging from 60 hp to 180 hp. “I guess I like what other people can’t handle,” he says. His Fairbanks features its original 3 hp Fairbanks-Morse pony starter engine.

In the world of antique tractor shows, the event put on by the Crossroads of Dixie Club is still a whippersnapper. But youth sometimes trumps experience, and this show is a fine example of that.

Held at Lawrenceburg in extreme south-central Tennessee, the Crossroads of Dixie show celebrated its 11th anniversary in August 2007. Nearly 1,000 tractors from all over the southeast congregated at the Rotary Park and visitors swarmed over the display. But bucking the trend at many shows, the Crossroads club downsized its event last summer.

“We put three days into two days,” says Crossroads club President Russell Counce. “Those days were plum full, but we liked it a whole lot better.” More than 300 tractors were featured in pulls both nights, and tractor games filled in the gaps.

The show has grown quickly. “Our first show, 11 years ago, cost $1,200 to put on,” Russell recalls. “People were kind of sniggering and laughing when we said were going to put on a tractor show in Lawrenceburg. I said ‘you just watch.’ After the first one, they all wanted on the bandwagon.”

Some 200 tractors showed up for the first show, a one-day display at the city park. The next year, the club added a tractor pull and 400 tractors came in. The next year, the show stretched to a second day, and exhibitors brought 800 tractors. It’s grown like topsy ever since.

H.A. Threet, one of the event’s founding fathers, said a friendly, down-home atmosphere sets the Crossroads of Dixie show apart. “At that first show 11 years ago, I shook the hand of every person who drove a trailer through that gate,” he says. “People have made this show what it is today.”

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-624-9388