Secretary, The Old Time Threshers, Saw Mill Operators Assn.
AN ESTIMATED CROWD of 15,000 attended the seventh annual Old
Time Threshers and Saw Mill Operators Reunion at the James Whitbey
farm near Fort Wayne, Indiana, August 15, 16, 17 and 18, 1957. It
was a new record in attendance which has seen the show get bigger
every year.
The show had 22 big engines and half a dozen miniatures,
including F. W. Blooms outfit from Churubusco, Indiana.
Winners of some major events were LeRoy Blaker of Alvord ton,
Ohio, fastest speed on Baker fan, 650 r.p.m. with his 65 Case;
Teeter-Totter, Melvin Lugten, Hamilton, Michigan; Hill Climb, Harry
Wood manse, Dowling, Michigan, and Jacket Egbert, Botkins, Ohio;
Belting to Thresher, Harry Wood manse and Melvin Lugetn tied at 50
seconds; Slowest on Fan, Frank Miller, Winnemac, Indiana, with twin
cylinder Colean engine; Saw Mill, Louis David, Northville,
Michigan, and Alan Kimmell, Ligonier, Indiana. Winebrenner and
Kimmell also had a 1900 Loco mobile steam car at the show. Wm.
Schwiebert, Hamler, Ohio was in charge of the threshing machines
with the assistance of ‘Mac’ McGinnitie, Decatur, Indiana.
Schwiebert donated a machine to the association this year, as did
Rolland Maxwell, Huntington, Indiana. Head saw mill man was Guy
Herron, Churubusco, Indiana.
The J. I. Case Company built the ramp for the hill climbing
contest. Walter Thomas, Syracuse, Indiana, brought his
‘traveling buzz saw’ to cut slab wood for kindling fires in
the engines every morning.
Some of the newly threshed wheat was taken from the machines,
cleaned and ground into whole wheat flour on the grounds by Leonard
Mann, Otterbein, Indiana, using a miniature Port Huron engine owned
by John Nahrvold of New Haven, Indiana.
Rev. Charles Williams of the Eel River Baptist Church was in
charge of the Sunday morning Church Services.
