Help for the Horse-Drawn Implements
Help. And then I repeat, help.
We have a great collection of mule drawn farm equipment. A real variety. Stalk cutters from the time when you harvested the corn and then cut the stalks for livestock feed. Fresnos and slips used before modern bulldozers to dig out pools and to excavate road drainage. A hay rake and multiple other instruments. We have McCormicks that should be painted back to their original red and yellow paint. We have John Deere equipment that should be painted green and yellow.
Kelly stretcher gave us the covered awning structure on the west side of the depot grounds to protect our equipment. And we have the slab on the front of the depot also
I’ve always envisioned getting pictures of the equipment; whether a drawing or actual historic advertisement or picture of the equipment. And putting a short identification of what the piece is and what it was used for, together with the picture, in a Plexiglas holder mounted on a post by the equipment.
Jimmy and Rita Hughes of the Sweete Shoppe have offered to give us some more horse-drawn equipment.
Charles Black has offered us equipment.
We need to do some conservation on the pieces we have: get them painted and maybe install some new wood.
Our organization can pay for paint and materials. We can pay for the posts and Plexiglas once a volunteer comes up with the plan for the exhibit and explanation. We need manpower. Who has an interest in working up the equipment and perhaps telling the stories?
The new theme of the Texas Historical Commission is real people telling real stories. We do have the stories here. We need someone to tell them.
For several pieces of the equipment which my family gave we even have the original bills of sale and purchase documents (leave it to my pack ratting heritage).
We also have the syrup mill and the furnace and a huge pan to cook down juice into cane syrup. Because of the nature of the old iron mill, we really need a mule to pull it if you want to crush some cane. The concern has been that a tractor would end up with so much torque as to break the gears on the mill. Is there anyone who has a mule or horse with an interest in at least doing some crushing of cane at any time this fall? Or some juice to cook up? Come make cane syrup. Let me know if you are interested in any of these projects.
