Avid Collectors of Ottawa Engines

By Leslie C. Mcdaniel
Published on November 1, 1998
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George and Helen Myers, keeping watch over their exhibit at the show in Ottawa, Kan., this summer.
George and Helen Myers, keeping watch over their exhibit at the show in Ottawa, Kan., this summer.
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An Ottawa 6 hp engine shown by the couple.
An Ottawa 6 hp engine shown by the couple.
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An example of Ottawa's literature. This is the main panel from a 1917 wall calendar.
An example of Ottawa's literature. This is the main panel from a 1917 wall calendar.
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Original paint on one of the couple's engines. Detailing on early Ottawas was not always top-notch, but at least in this case, it was durable.
Original paint on one of the couple's engines. Detailing on early Ottawas was not always top-notch, but at least in this case, it was durable.
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A Warner 3 1/4 hp with original paint and lettering. Manufacturered by Union Foundry, a division of Ottawa Engine Co., this engine is fairly rare.
A Warner 3 1/4 hp with original paint and lettering. Manufacturered by Union Foundry, a division of Ottawa Engine Co., this engine is fairly rare.

Meet George and Helen Myers, ambassadors for Ottawa. Ottawa engines, that is.

The Blain, Penn., couple have been collectors for years. Phonographs, classic cars, they’ve done it all. But these days they’ve narrowed their scope to Ottawa engines, originally produced in Ottawa, Kan. They’re avid collectors – they have 31 pieces of the Ottawa line, including tractor saws, engines and drag saws – but they’re also unofficial ambassadors. From their home base on the east coast, where Ottawa is slowly becoming better known, they spread the word, maintain a comprehensive collectors’ registry, and generate good will.

“We’re the eastern contingent,” George said. “There’s getting to be more interest in Ottawa in our part of the country, since we started up with it.”

Helen said easterners are starting to include Ottawa engines in their collections.

“I think they’re starting to realize that an Ottawa is a very important and unique piece of equipment,” she said. “And I’d like to think we had something to do with that.”

The couple’s own entrance into the Ottawa line came by accident.

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