Antique Machinery show draws a crowd

CENTRE HALL — The Nittany Antique Machinery Association recently held its annual fall show at Penns Cave.

NAMA was formed in 1975 when some avid antique equipment collectors decided that central Pennsylvania contained enough interest and equipment to organize a club and hold a show of its own. The first event was held at Penns Cave farm in September 1975. The attendance and enthusiasm was beyond expectations, and the show became an annual event, held on the first weekend after Labor Day. This fall show has grown to be one of the largest of its kind east of the Mississippi and many additions have been made to the show grounds, including a museum, library and huge flea market. NAMA also hosts an annual spring show on the first weekend after Memorial Day.

Each year, one brand of farm equipment is featured. Past shows have featured John Deere, Farmall, Allis-Chalmers, Ford and other well-known brands, but this year’s featured brand might fall into the “everything else” category. Owners of lesser-known brands of tractors were encouraged to bring their machines, and they responded by showing a host of tractors bearing names such as Silver King, Empire, Cockshutt and Do-All.

Empire brand tractors are rare and have an interesting history. The Empire Tractor Corp. was established in 1946 in New York City, intending to build tractors for the Marshall Plan, a plan developed by the U.S. to help European allies recover from the devastation of World War II.

Empire built a small, general-purpose, light-duty tractor using drive train components used in the famous World War II Willys-Overland Jeep. Empire planned to export its tractors to Poland, France and other European countries, as well as South Africa and South America. The company never intended to sell Empire tractors in the U.S. or Canada, but a handful of them were sold here. Empire made the tractors for just five years, ceasing production in 1950.

The NAMA show featured about a dozen examples of the bright red Empires, including one brought in from Dresden, Ontario, by Kevin and Sharon Gervais.

The Silver King brand was well represented at the show, with many of its shining silver-colored units on display, most featuring the brand’s unusual single front-wheel design.

Silver Kings were originally called Plymouths, since the company was located in Plymouth, Ohio, but changed their name when the Chrysler Corporation sued them for using the same name as their Plymouth automobiles.

Some lesser-known brands of automobiles were also shown in the antique car exhibits this year. Brian Miller, of Loganton, brought a 1929 Whippet (nicknamed Whip-It) roadster in pristine condition. Whippets were produced only from 1929 to 1931, falling victim to the Great Depression.

Displayed beside the Whippet was a 1928 Willys Knight sedan owned by Dave Yeager, of Sugar Loaf, and nearby sat a 1925 Hudson “Super Six” sedan with a lightly rusted patina, shown by Don Herr, of Aaronsburg.

Demonstrations of a working sawmill and a corn chopper, powered by antique engines, were performed for the huge crowd of spectators throughout the show. The show also featured antique tractor pulls, parades of tractors and equipment and a flea market with around 800 vendors.