25 Pleasant Street Woodstock, Vermont 05091.
Mr. Leary has a collection of one-cylinder engines (horizontal
approximately 30 in number), has 25 old gas tractors, mostly John
Deeres, and says he needs a Waterloo Boy. He lets
‘youngsters’ of all ages view his engines for free. He
believes that if these artifacts of our past are not preserved, we
account of a steam rally he and his wife attended in Ireland.
Last June, Mrs. Leary and I went to Ireland to tour the Republic
and look up where my grandfather Leary was from. Motoring from
Dublin to Cork on the morning of June 16, I saw a lowbed with three
Farmalls on itan A, H, & M. They were painted beautifully
except without decals, and I found out later that none were
available, so they were hand painted on the tractors. I stopped and
talked to a nice gentleman about tractors and he told me he was on
the road to a steam and gas tractor rally at Littleton. He told us
how to get there, so we went, too
Tractor owned by Mr. Osmond Bennett which he has refused to sell
for 250,000 (approximately $285,000). The original purpose of this
tractor was to power a dynamo (generator) for emergency lighting at
a hospital in Dublin many years ago. You will note the generator on
the front. The belt was not connected to the pulley on the side of
the steam engine.
It was a beautiful clean bright day with the fields, valleys,
and countryside all in their best ’emerald green.’ There
was a parade led by a 50-piece bagpipe band, then the little pony
cart hauling Mr. Donncha O Dulaing and Mr. Osmond Bennett who
opened the rally. Following them were the Farmalls, an English
Fordson, a few old cars, and then the steam tractors. The sky was
darkened by their smoke (soft coal) and a hush fell over the 3000
people in attendance, then a spontaneous thunderous ovation. It was
certainly thrilling.
Littleton is a small agricultural community of approximately
1500 to 2000 inhabitants. All the proceeds from the Littleton Rally
went to the restoration fund for the local church. As the rally
brochure aptly states, ‘It is appropriate that the purpose for
which this particular rally has been organized is the preservation
and restoration of something old, Little Church a church of
historical interest and architectural fame.’ The community
spirit and enthusiasm of all was some experience for Mrs. Leary and
myself. We were both born on farms (she in Andover, Massachusetts,
and myself in Waterford, Connecticut). We remember the old county
fairs from our childhood, and we were both brought back to these
memories by this experience in Ireland.