Preserving the Walking Plow

By Jerry Schleicher
Published on August 23, 2011
1 / 11
Harold Eddy displays his 1860s-era Gilpin (named for inventor Gilpin Moore) sulky plow. The sulky plow – a wheeled plow with one moldboard – gained market success in the 1870s.
Harold Eddy displays his 1860s-era Gilpin (named for inventor Gilpin Moore) sulky plow. The sulky plow – a wheeled plow with one moldboard – gained market success in the 1870s.
2 / 11
Side view of a Carey wooden moldboard plow dating to the late 1700s. Carey plows were made entirely of wood: handles, beam, standard and moldboard. The moldboard was faced with thin iron strips to prolong wear. A triangular wrought iron share was attached at the front of the moldboard to cut the soil.
Side view of a Carey wooden moldboard plow dating to the late 1700s. Carey plows were made entirely of wood: handles, beam, standard and moldboard. The moldboard was faced with thin iron strips to prolong wear. A triangular wrought iron share was attached at the front of the moldboard to cut the soil.
3 / 11
The Bessemer steel moldboard on this early John Deere plow dates its manufacture to the 1850s.
The Bessemer steel moldboard on this early John Deere plow dates its manufacture to the 1850s.
4 / 11
The Baker plow was manufactured in the 1830s by Canton, Ill., blacksmith Ira Baker.
The Baker plow was manufactured in the 1830s by Canton, Ill., blacksmith Ira Baker.
5 / 11
Found in the loft of an old cabin, this Dutch Colony plow was brought to Missouri in 1816. The Dutch Colony plow was a European design that predated the Old Colony plow. The Dutch Colony plow had a shorter tongue than the Old Colony plow, and the cutting knife or blade was placed near the front of the plow, while the Old Colony’s blade was positioned at the side of the share.
Found in the loft of an old cabin, this Dutch Colony plow was brought to Missouri in 1816. The Dutch Colony plow was a European design that predated the Old Colony plow. The Dutch Colony plow had a shorter tongue than the Old Colony plow, and the cutting knife or blade was placed near the front of the plow, while the Old Colony’s blade was positioned at the side of the share.
6 / 11
Salvaged from the Columbia River, this Parlin & Orendorff 4-rod plow was likely carried west in a covered wagon. Curved spring steel rods took the place of a moldboard and contributed to light draft.
Salvaged from the Columbia River, this Parlin & Orendorff 4-rod plow was likely carried west in a covered wagon. Curved spring steel rods took the place of a moldboard and contributed to light draft.
7 / 11
Homesteaders used this horse-drawn Champion sod cutter to cut the strips of sod necessary to construct a sod home.
Homesteaders used this horse-drawn Champion sod cutter to cut the strips of sod necessary to construct a sod home.
8 / 11
Still bearing a blush of its original red paint, this cast iron Oliver plow was discovered in the loft of an old store in southwest Missouri. It apparently was damaged in shipping from the manufacturer and, missing parts, was never sold or used.
Still bearing a blush of its original red paint, this cast iron Oliver plow was discovered in the loft of an old store in southwest Missouri. It apparently was damaged in shipping from the manufacturer and, missing parts, was never sold or used.
9 / 11
The one-handled Eddy plow was manufactured in the 1830s in Albany, N.Y., by Waldon Eddy, a distant relative of collector Harold Eddy. “If an Eddy, always ready,” company promotional materials proclaimed. Harold says the one-handled plow, of English design, was also called a corn or orchard plow. The design allowed the user to walk on unplowed ground instead of in the furrow, with his arm braced against the wooden handle, holding the peg with his right hand.
The one-handled Eddy plow was manufactured in the 1830s in Albany, N.Y., by Waldon Eddy, a distant relative of collector Harold Eddy. “If an Eddy, always ready,” company promotional materials proclaimed. Harold says the one-handled plow, of English design, was also called a corn or orchard plow. The design allowed the user to walk on unplowed ground instead of in the furrow, with his arm braced against the wooden handle, holding the peg with his right hand.
10 / 11
The fingers on this bluegrass plow helped farmers cut and dry strips of dense sod that were subsequently plowed under.
The fingers on this bluegrass plow helped farmers cut and dry strips of dense sod that were subsequently plowed under.
11 / 11
This Jethro Wood patent plow was uncovered in a Missouri field while Harold was working with a modern chisel plow.
This Jethro Wood patent plow was uncovered in a Missouri field while Harold was working with a modern chisel plow.

It’s not uncommon to find one or two old walking plows in collections of antique farm equipment. But for Harold Eddy, vintage walking plows are the centerpiece of a collection that also includes antique wire fence and broom-making equipment, as well as vintage haying and corn harvesting machinery.

Over the last half-century, this retired farmer and real estate appraiser from Slater, Mo., has acquired nearly 125 different models of oxen- and horse-drawn walking plows, sulky plows, cultivator plows and lister plows. His collection includes early wooden moldboard plows, hillside plows, root cutters, a bluegrass plow, an ice plow and an early steel ditch puller. He has several sulky plows, including a two-way sulky, a one-handle plow, single- and double-wing shovel plows, sod plows and potato digger plows. He has plows made by Grand Detour, Chattanooga, Wiard, John Deere, Oliver, Avery, Eddy, Wood, Baker, Case and Eli, as well as unpatented plows forged by local blacksmiths. The collection also includes a large assortment of left-handed plows.

Harold, who displays many of his plows in the Mid-Missouri Antique Power Assn.’s permanent exhibit at the Saline County, Mo., fairgrounds in Marshall, Mo., says he acquired most of his plows at swap meets and auctions, sometimes from individual collectors. But at least one treasured plow was found buried in a Missouri field.

“Probably the first real good ‘keeper’ plow I found was when I was cleaning up an old place,” he explains. “I was chisel-plowing a field when I crossed an old ditch, and I jerked that plow out of the ground. The standard had been broken off and all that was left was the moldboard and the share, but I decided to save it. It sat beside my shop door for years, until one day I noticed some writing on it that identified it as a (Jethro) Wood patent plow. That’s when I rebuilt it, made wooden handles for it and added it to my collection.”

Wooden moldboards

Harold acquired the oldest plow in his collection – a Carey wooden moldboard plow – from a Missouri collector. The plow features a flat wooden moldboard; its share and landside were crafted from a single piece of wrought iron. Carey plows were considered light and easier to handle. Origin of the Carey name is unknown; Harold believes the piece to have been made by a blacksmith in the late 1700s. He’s equally proud of his Dutch Colony wooden moldboard plow with a cast iron share that was brought to Missouri from North Carolina.

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