When the Community Life
Historical Museum opened in 2008, one of the features was a wall of
photographs. The theme that year was celebrations. After all, the Interlaken
Historical Society was celebrating the new museum in the Trumansburg Telephone
company building.
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| 1900 McCormick Equipment Day at Farmer Interlaken Historical Society photo collection #350 |
Among the photos was a group
photo of hundreds of people on Main Street near the Goodman, or as it was then,
the Gambee Hotel. The caption given to the photo in many places is "July 4, 1900,
the first McCormick Reaper in Farmer."
Wanting to know more, the search
was on for background. At the time, we did not have old copies of the Interlaken
Review online, so the search meant looking at the microfilm copies.
The July 7th issue didn’t have
anything about a crowd on July 4th. There were only some small
family gatherings. Okay, so I looked in the following weeks. Finding nothing I
began going back into June. A crowd was in town late in June for the laying of
the cornerstone at the high school. Finally, June 9, 1900, there was a report
of the event. It wasn’t one reaper that arrived; it was a whole trainload of
equipment. The week prior, June 2nd, there was a preview of the
event as well.
Farmer Review Saturday June 2, 1900.
A
unique exhibition is being arranged for Thursday next at Farmer. The McCormick
Harvester Machine Company will, that day, deliver the machines sold in this
section during the winter and spring. There will be 100 self-binders in a
procession thru the principal street. Two brass bands have been engaged to
furnish music. Prof. O. N. DuEsler, of Romulus, will deliver an address in the
afternoon. Every farmer taking home a machine, will get his dinner and horses
fed free. A big crowd is expected. A dance will be held in the evening. A
series of sports during the day will consist of bicycle races, foot races, and
a game of baseball, for which suitable prizes will be offered.
Under the heading, “Unique
Parade,” the Saturday, June 9, 1900, Farmer Review noted:
Agents
of several harvesting machine companies have made a lively canvas around here
for some months past, and the McCormick agents gave a unique show last
Thursday, that will long be remembered. Local agents Oscar B. Yarnell of Hayts
Corners, John C. Townsend of Lodi and Arthur Rappleye of this place had all
their sales of machinery shipped to Farmer where purchasers were to call for it
June 7th. With the assistance of district agent G. B. Roudebush, of Rochester,
and L. B. Weager, of Cato, traveling agent, the plans were perfected whereby a
good crowd was brought to town and kept all day, the purchasers being
entertained by the agents. The Lodi band of 12 pieces, Miller band of Farmer,
18 pieces, and a drum corps from Trumansburg kept the air full of music. In the
afternoon the machinery, consisting of binders, mowers, corn harvesters and
rakes were loaded in wagons paraded thru the principal streets, disbanding at
the Gambee House where an address was given by Prof. DuEsler.
Rain
greatly interfered with the parade and made necessary the abandonment of the
ball game.
A
series of sports were arranged and prizes won as follows: Open bicycle race, 5
miles, Geo. Depew, of Ovid, Novice race, same course, Art Brown, with Henry
Minor second. Time 14 minutes. Slow race, Howard Peterson. Running race, Henry
Minor. Standing broad jump. J. W. Hall, 9 ft. 11 in. Standing hop, skip and
jump, J. W. Hall, 27 ft. 8 in; run, hop, skip and jump, P. Farrell, 37 ft. 2
in.; standing high jump, J. W. Hall 3 ft. 8 in; run, high jump, Henry Minor
4.9; running jump, Henry Minor 16 & With the exception of Depew, every
winner is a member of the Kidders Y.M.C.A.
Dewitt’s Diary Tuesday, June 7,
1927
Fair and mild today. We cut seed
potatoes this afternoon.
The Holton storage burned this
afternoon at 4:30. The owner tipped a lamp over and started the fire.
Wonder if my grandfather was there!
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