Cyrus McCormick Farm

McCormick Mill and Farm

 We were chasing down geocaches, and when we got here we were really surprised to find the farm!!  This is where Cyrus grew up, working for his father in the mill, and on the farm.  Never, ever would have found this if it hadn't been for the caches placed here.

The grist mill was in use before Cyrus was born.  The structure has been carefully and authentically repaired in the last generation by the McCormick family.  It was again restored in the mid-1990s.  As it stands today it is as accurate as the best research and craft can make it.

 This sewing machine was in the museum area.  James Edward Allen Gibbs saw a picture of a sewing machine in a newspaper.  He started thinking about it and since they were very expensive, he decided to try to make one.  He even manufactured his own needles, from wood.  There was a three page article about how he went about the process.  He later was waiting for his father in the tailor shop where he saw a Singer sewing machine and thought it was much too big and heavy which pushed him on to develop this one.  

He sold a 1/2 partnership to a local saw mill owner, in order to have money for a patent application. He went to the patent office in Washington DC and observed patent models as well as some of the machines then on the market.  Gibbs realized he couldn't market this alone so, with his letters of patent in his pocket he went to Philadelphia.  

He patented 2 features, one was the revolving looper which pulled up a definite quantity of needle thread proportionate to the length of stitch and a feeding mechanism which fed the work positively between two corrugated surfaces. 

I was fascinated by the shape and size, would have liked to try it out.  They were having an open house the following weekend, don't know if they would have had it running or not.

Reaper Copy

   This reaper is a very old working reproduction of the machine that was invented on this farm.  Cyrus improved his father's machine including the reciprocating knife, guards, reel, platform, main wheel, side moving cutter and divider at the outer end of the cutter bar.  His invention took much of the drudgery out of a necessary chore, opened the door for a new era in agriculture by finding a way to replace muscle power with mechanical power on a job that had to be done.

These miniatures of farm implements on display were just incredible.  Such detail went into each one:

 

Grist Mill Water Wheel

 The farm had an interpretive trail around the mill pond, where the caches were.  

Mushrooms

Gary is pointing at a huge mushroom we found near the trail.  You can see 2 more in the background.  Wow, they were almost a foot across, looked like a soccer ball.  

Stream to the mill pond

 We were very happy to have accidentally come upon the McCormick farm.  Geocaching is so educational!  There have been so many caches in places that taught us much about the area and we would never have seen if it weren't for geocaching. 

Harrisburg, PA Capitol

Harrisburg, PA Capitol

While camped at Hershey, we took the opportunity to drive up to see the capitol.  I'm happy to report that it has a dome!  Of course the original seat of government was in Philidelphia, it was later temporarily moved to Lancaster.  Harrisburg was ultimately selected because of it industrious spirit.  In 1816 the Commonwealth provided for the erection of a permanent State Capitol on a hill.  The building was completed and occupied in 1822.  Presidents Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, Lincoln, Grant and Hayes as well as the Prince of Wales, Daniel Webster and the Marquis de Lafayette had all been within its walls.  On February 2, 1897 it was totally destroyed by fire.

 A new building was erected on the same site, and dedicated on October 4, 1906.  President Theodore Roosevelt said at the dedication "the handsomeness building I ever saw!"

State Senate Chamber

This picture is of the Senate, however in the Representative chamber the chandeliers have a thousand bulbs... they are all changed once a year.  We were unable to take pictures in the Representative chamber since they were in session when we entered. 

We were able to tour the building, however there was a presentation going on in the rotunda that was loud and distracting, and echoed around the open areas.  It was a very impressive building with gold, marble, tile, murals and sculpture, probably the most beautiful capital of any we have seen.  The dome is 272 foot high, modeled after that of Michaelangelo's St Peter's in Rome and the main stairway in the rotunda after the Grand Opera House in Paris.  

Toward the Dome

 

View from the Steps

You can't see it in this shot, but our car is parked just a few cars down on the right side.  We managed to figure out the secret to using the meter and our credit card, and putting our license number into the mix, even though it took a couple of tries to get it to accept our information.  Total cost was only $3.00 for the hour we were there.  Significantly different than the $28.00 they wanted for some of the lots in Albany, we only paid $8 in Albany but had to walk a long way. 

To the Left of Steps

 Our visit to Harrisburg was brief, but very pleasant.  There was very little litter around, and really few run down houses.  If you could see further, in the photo from the capitol steps you would see the river that winds thru town.  We would have liked to spend some time walking along the river but as you can see, clouds were telling us "you better not, I'm going to get you wet if you do." 

Mustang Museum, Hershey, PA

1964 1/2 Mustang Convertible

This Mustang Museum was located near Hershey, PA.  If you're not "car people" you may want to skip this particular lengthy post...

Eloise and I have restored two classic Mustang convertibles.  One we restored while stationed at Hickam AFB in Hawaii from 1976 to 1980.  It was a 6 cylinder, 3 speed, 64 1/2 convertible like this one above.  Ours was Wimbledon White, with red interior.  When I brought it home, Eloise couldn't believe how horrible it looked, and didn't even want it in our compound.  (We lived on base, near to the MAC terminal.)   Pearl Harbor Naval Station next to Hickam had a pretty nice auto hobby shop where most of the restoration took place.  Once finished, it was a beautiful car we were both extremely proud of.  It may sound peculiar to call it a 64 1/2, but there were differences between it and the full production model of 1965.  A couple of the differences were the engine sizes and ours had a generator instead of an alternator.  There was some very minor hood differences.  It's been a long time, but we 'think' it had a 6 volt battery instead of the 12 volt.  Someone at the hobby shop gave it it's gorgeous paint job.

The second one we restored was a 1965, 289 V8, 4 speed.  Red like this one.  It was pretty much trashed also and we restored it in our garage while stationed at Pope AFB, in North Carolina 1983-1986.  We rebuilt the engine, the 4 Speed was pretty bullet proof, so we were lucky there.  We removed every nut and bolt, cleaned and painted them with a clear lacquer to keep them from rusting.  We had a guy in the area that had a reputation for painting classic cars do the paint for $2,000.  He had to 'block' it several times, before giving it it's final beautiful lacquer paint job.  

Now that you know our history with Mustangs, you'll understand our enthusiasm for this museum.  It turned out that it also contained old busses, motorcycles, other car brands and early autos.  All our interests in a single building.  Can't get much better than that.  

Here's a sampling of what was there.  Of course we have many more pictures than appear here, but we'll spare you somewhat:

1963 Concept Oldest Mustang On The Road Today

1963 Concept

 This car was one of 15 that were supposed to be destroyed because they were a prelude to the production.  The person who had it took it upon himself to steal it and hide it.  Seven months later the police found it.  Once it emerged, Aetna Ins was named its owner, and sold it to one of its executives.  It has been displayed at venues across the US.

It was a two seater, storage only behind the front seats.  Did you notice where the gas filler was located?

And in the first photo of it, you can see that the window glass behind the doors is concave.  

1909 Buick Model F

  The owner of this Buick was focused more on preserving the vehicle than in restoring it, which means that steps to keep it from deteriorating take precedent over full-fledged restoration.  I've included it in the blog because it is rare that you see these unrestored beauties.

1928 Zagelmeyer of the Zagelmeyer Auto Camp Company

The Zagelmeyer Auto Camper claimed to be the lightest one manufactured.  Its canvas was permanently attached, making for quick setup and tear-down, and it had a hard top roof.  Zagelmeyer invented the ball-and-socket trailer hitch commonly used still today!

1948 Tucker

I have no doubt that many knew what this car was even before reading the caption.  Yep, it's a Tucker, and you can tell by that center headlight that turned with the steering wheel. That was a Tucker innovation.  I have often wished for such a light when I've turned a corner!  It is just considered too ugly to use in today's cars.  

Rear engine, each cylinder its own exhaust

The front "trunk" looks a little awkward to use

The 1948 Tucker has a six cylinder horizontally opposed engine producing 166 horsepower.  This one is the original Tucker Grey color scheme.  A Tucker was clocked at 131 MPH at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1950.  Pretty impressive for those days.

 It was interesting to me to learn that at the unveiling of the Tucker on June 19, 1947, they used a wooden bumper for it's christening.  In the end, the Tucker Corporation will only produce 51 automobiles due to bad press, even though the SEC trials later cleared him of any misdeeds.

Following is a display of hood ornaments used over the years.  There were separate displays for US cars, and different foreign ones.  If you've been around a lot of cars, you will recognize more than a few of these. 

US Hood Ornament Collection

One of the first auto manufacturers to create a statuette was Rolls-Royce.  As early as 1911, the "Spirit of Ecstasy" featuring a standing or kneeling woman with wings and flowing drapery.  Other auto manufacturers followed suit. Many designs were inspired by the name, such as Pierce-Arrow's Archer, and Pontiac's Indian Chief.  The majority of mascots were made from inexpensive "pot metal", higher end autos chose to produce theirs from silver, bronze and even glass.

 Here's something I found really unique:

1919 Briggs and Straton

Briggs & Stratton Motor Wheel

You probably know the Briggs & Stratton engines used in your lawn mowers.  But, in the early part of the 1900s, they were a manufacturer of automotive accessories that invested half a million dollars in a new building and equipment to diversify into the production of actual vehicles.
The company bought the rights to a buckboard-type vehicle called the Smith Motor Wheel.  They renamed it the Briggs and Stratton Flyer and increased its engine output, and added a flywheel magneto.  The Flyer was made from 1919 to 1923.
Briggs and Stratton is still in business and still based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  They now manufacture small engines, generators, pressure washers and snow blowers.

This building that houses the collection was created to save money and help the environment by using a geothermal heat pump.  Extending hundreds of feet below the ground, where the temperature remains 45 to 55 F year-round, are 200 water filled pipes.  The water within these pipes is in constant motion, circulating from this subterranean labyrinth to a series of heat exchangers within the museum and back again.  As it circulates, it cools the building during the summer months, and warms it in the winter. 

Mustang Museum

Geothermal Explanation for the building

1932 Studebaker St. Regis

  This Studebaker has a special body with extra-long doors.  When it debuted that year it had safety glass, a longer wheelbase, slanting windshields and more rounded corners.  The owner spent 5 1/2 years restoring it.  It's so beautiful!


The lower floor (of three floors) contained more mustangs but also old trucks and buses.  The photo captures only the center part of the room.  A bus like the one to the upper left is a Scenic Cruiser like the one my parents sent me by myself from Calif to Illinois to visit relatives when I was 12.  Terror and joy to me to be on my own for the first time!

Lower Floor

1956 Ford Thunderbird

Ford introduced the Thunderbird in 1955.  For the second year like this one they moved the spare tire from the trunk to the rear bumper as a continental kit.  They gained much more room in the trunk, but it also added too much weight behind the rear axle, and greatly affected handling and steering.  The spare went back into the trunk in 1957!  The '56 saw a new rear bumper configuration with a new dual exhaust system.  This was also the first year for the 'portal window' in the removable hardtop.  Ford put the window there to improve visibility after getting complaints about people not being able to see out of the back of their Thunderbirds.

1930 DuPont Model G Convertible

This 1930 DuPont Roadster is an 8 cyl 130 hp vehicle.  There were 273 Model G's produced between 1929 and the company's demise in 1932.  Douglas Fairbanks, Jack Dempsey and Will Rogers all owned and drove the DuPont.  E. Paul DuPont was a wealthy industrialist who hired the best stylists and engineers in the business, and they earned a reputation for elegant and graceful coachwork.

As if it wasn't enough to have such a variety of vehicles under one roof, there was a room devoted to electric trains.  It was a remarkable set, and we were glad we took the time to have a look.

Click this for video of the trains = 2 mins

So, are you asking why I've showcased so few Mustangs from the Mustang Museum?  It's because I'm really not into any except the classic ones.  I appreciate the newer ones, they're sleek and powerful, but they just don't hold my interest like the early ones.  And also, there were so many other interesting things in this museum!!  If you get the chance, and if you're a car person, don't miss the opportunity to see it.  

Eloise is still doing Sam and Natalie's quilt...

Someday Sam and Natalies Quilt

 

Thousand Trails Campground, Hershey , PA

Hershey Thousand Trails

The small lake at Hershey was a great draw for the Canadian geese, ducks, fishermen, and we liked the view too!  
It is a full-hookup campground (meaning 50amp, sewer, and water at the site).  The drawback is that the Verizon wi-fi signal was too weak to allow us to update the blog until yesterday when we arrived at another park in Virginia. 

 










There was a "Rails to Trails" path just south of the park,   we enjoyed several bicycle miles and found a few geocaches along the way:

Before the trails was the narrow gauge railroad of Mt Gretna

 

Rindge, New Hampshire

Sam & Natalie

This is a picture of our grandson Samuel and his new bride Natalie, wedded on September 15, 2018.  This was the reason we journeyed so far east this year. 

They were married at a vegetable and flower farm in Rindge, New Hampshire, where Natalie had worked as an intern.  Here you can see the wedding venue:

The Hot House converted to Dining Facility

 The above was converted from wedding format to the dining room after the ceremony.  

Natalie's Identical Twin and Brides Maid Lauren

As you can see, the twins are really look-alikes!  Jessica, Sam's sister, was Sam's "attendant" 

The fellow doing the officiating was the owner of the farm, Natalie's sometimes boss, and Justice of the Peace for the State of New Hampshire.

Some Munchies and All Kinds of Spirits

 

The 'barn' cleans up pretty good, garlic and all!

It's not polite to ask who won...

 

Kim's sister Ginger, Kim's daughter Jessica, Kim and Eloise

 

Some of the Attendees were charter bused in from a nearby city

 

Dinner is served

 

Dinner was brought to these tables.  Flowers and veggies no problem on a farm!

 

Dance floor, er, rug, for dancing that night

Sam with Mom 

R to L: Sam's sister Jessica, dad John, John's SO, Frank is Kim's SO, Kim, Sam, Natalie, Natalie's parents, Natalie's twin Lauren & her SO, Natalie's brothers

 We parked our motorhome at the house that belonged to the parents of the owner of the farm.  They were gracious to let Kim and several others take over their large house for several days before and following the wedding.  (They wisely left and went to Michigan to their other house.)  The curving driveway was steep and narrow and pine tree limbs dragged on our roof as we got to the house.  Fortunately, their son-in-law came by and removed several limbs for us that would no doubt have given us trouble as we backed down the hill.

The Happy Couple

Click below, if you dare, to see pictures that daughter Ginger and husband Duane took.  The professional pictures are not yet available.  If anyone cares, I will be posting that link here when it comes in.

Click here to see many, many pictures of the wedding: