Our next project is coming to us courtsy of Dick and his son Boyd. They have restored back to working order a 1914 Waterloo Boy hit and miss engine. This old engine has a couple of stories that make it unique. First, it was owned for many years by someone else in Glenview, Leroy (Lee) Hartung. If that name rings a bell it is because when Lee was alive, he had one of the nations most interesting collections of unrestored automotive and mechanical equipment . When he passed, the collection was put up for sale and that is when Dick and his son purchased the engine. Interestingly, the Dunbar popcorn wagon that Ron Bernardi donated to the Farm also came from that auction. The other story worth noting about the engine is it was made by Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company who was not only making hit and miss engines but also tractors. Their tractors worked so well that in 1918 John Deere bought the entire company just so they could own the rights to the tractor business. In fact, Deere still makes tractors in Waterloo, Iowa.
We are working on how best to display the engine but we are looking forward to getting to show off Dick's latest restoration and little piece of Glenview history.
