Route 2, Country Club Est., Greer, South Carolina 29651
Enclosed is a picture of my father which might be of interest to
your magazine. It was taken in 1954 in Cuipeper, Virginia. The
engine is a 10 hp Frick owned by C. W. Thornhill, who is pictured
2nd from the right. Beside him is O. R. Clark, and on the engine is
my dad, C. H. Somers.
In 1947 I helped my Dad and an older brother during the
threshing season on this very engine, using a Frick threshing
machine. I was just a little fellow, but big enough to help out
some, and to drive the ’37 Buick with a trailer-load of gas
cans and such. My brother sacked the grain, while Dad ran the whole
show, and I operated the clutch on the engine when I was told
to.
Great fun! We didn’t get out of Culpeper County, and had to
stay on the dirt roads, but it was a very successful season of
threshing . . . and this was with steam power. This was the last
season the Frick engine was used full-time, although it was
fired-up periodically since then.
The engine is still in the Thornhill family and the last time it
ran was two years ago at the Culpeper Farm Show. My Dad, of course,
did the honors.
My Dad has been involved with threshing machines and sawmills
since he was old enough to walk, and he’s almost 77 now. His
father was in the business, and he followed in his footsteps. I
still remember Grandfather’s old Peerless engine and a wooden
thresher, which I can’t remember the name. The ’26 Fordson
tractor is still there, and is used some to drag logs, and
such.
Dad still saws five days-a-week for the Ward Rue Lumber Company
of Culpeper (he’s been there about 55 years), and most
Saturdays he can be found running his own small mill, a Frick,
which was his Father’s. He’s a sawyer, and actually does
all the sawing and most of the maintenance on these mills himself.
On rainy days, he practices some lost arts like hand working radial
saws, and repairing old machinery and antique cars.
C. H. Somers is a real ‘Iron-Man.’
