Big Daddy Dave

…and finally, my last post about our tour/exploration of Harold Warp’s Pioneer Village in Minden Nebraska.  I’ll end this series of posts with the very late lunch/early dinner we had on the way back to Omaha.

There were a few items and collections that I’d missed or skipped over before…and I’ll mention other exhibits and collections that we just didn’t take photos of.

This is a 1934 Harley-Davidson Model VLD.  With the onset of the Great Depression, sales of motorcycles were hard to come by.  In an effort to cut costs and increase sales, Harley eliminated chrome trim, substituting black paint.  This model had its shift lever mounted on the gas tank.  A total of 4,527 Model VLD’s were built, selling for $310 each.  A 1934 H/D VLD sold this year through Hemming’s Auctions for $21,000.

We didn’t tour the second floor of the building where motorcycles, bicycles and more are on display but I’ve seen photos of both…and the floor is jam-packed with goodies.

This beautiful red 1905 Buick Model C is the oldest Buick in existence!  It is equipped with a 2-cylinder motor that produces 22 HP.  Its frame is made of wood and it was built in Jackson Michigan (my hometown).  The price tag for the Model C back in the day was $1,200. (About $42,000 in today’s dollars)

…but, once again, I digress...

Back to the exhibits at Pioneer Village.  This is a 1914 2-passenger Saxon.  It cost $395, the equivalent to $11,696 in 2022, and it was billed as “A Good Low Priced Car”.  This particular version includes a couple of options…electric lights and an electric starter.  A total of 7,000 of these cars were built in the first year of production. 

In 1914, a Saxon roadster was driven 135 miles a day for 30 days straight.  Total miles covered was 4,050 and it averaged 30 miles per gallon.  It was among the first cars that ‘christened’ the then new transcontinental Lincoln Highway…primarily US Hwy 30 today.

The Saxon Motor Car Company was located in Detroit Michigan and it was in operation from 1914 to 1922 when it over expanded and got into serious financial difficulties.  In 1917, Saxon built 28,000 cars, making it the seventh largest car maker in the USA.

This is a 1909 E-M-F 30.  Note the lap robe on the seat for warmth...  This 2-seat coupe was built in Walkerville Ontario although the company had plants in the USA as well.  The E-M-F Company produced cars from 1909 to 1912.  The name E-M-F came from the initials of the 3 founders of the company.  The E was for Barney Everitt, an auto-body maker.  The M was for William Metzger, who had been with Cadillac.  Finally, the F was for Walter Flanders, who had worked for Henry Ford as his production manager.  The company was folded into the Studebaker Company which shortly afterwards, stopped using the EMF brand name.

Exhibits at Pioneer Village pertaining to Native American culture are limited as the focus of the museum is the growth and progress of the country from 1830 into the early 1960s.  Much of the 'progress' and innovations noted came at the expense of Native Americans.  Nevertheless, I did note this showcase of Native American artifacts in the main building at Pioneer Village.  Included are pottery items, tools, beads, a ceremonial headdress and what appears to be 2 ceremonial tomahawks.  That item at the front of the case is a hide scraper.

The Algonquian people created the tomahawk.  The word Tomahawk is derived from Powhatan ‘tamahaac’.  Originally, Native Americans would use sharpened stones secured to wooden handles using strips of rawhide.  The tomahawk quickly spread from the Algonquian culture to the tribes of the South and Great Plains.

As I’ve emphasized several times, there is little that Harold Warp and his Pioneer Village didn’t collect that is representative of European American life, growth and expansion beginning in 1830. 

The “Cigar Store Indian” in the first photo once stood in front of a Chicago Cigar factory.  It was wheeled out to the sidewalk every day from 1875 until 1902.  It was found in a Chicago basement 50 years later.  These ubiquitous carved wooded sculptures actually became popular with the demise of ship’s figureheads.  American tobacconists started buying the figureheads…especially American Indians…to advertise their shops.  At one time, there were over 75,000 “Cigar Store Indian” sculptures across the USA.  They lost their popularity in the early 1900s.

The cast metal Native American (unfortunately covered by signs) was cast in the true likeness of an Indian chief in Wisconsin.  A lumber executive made friends with the chief and had the cast made ca. 1850 to keep peace with the tribe.  The goal of course was to cut as much timber from the tribe’s hunting grounds as possible.  The figure is wearing a capote.  A capote is a wool blanket fashioned into a sort of coat to provide a means of dealing with harsh winters and they served as winter outerwear for First Nations.

This is the last automobile, I promise!  It’s a 1915 Moon touring car with a “double cowl Delaumay-Belleville” body design.  This style, it was claimed, “is usually associated with higher priced European models”.  It even had Spanish leather upholstery!  Three models were available ranging in price from $1,395 to $1,750 for the 6-66 combination touring and club roaster.

The Moon Motor Car Company, founded in St. Louis Missouri in 1905, had a venerable reputation among the discriminating auto buying public.  One early model…a true luxury car…sold for $3,000 or about $94,500 in todays dollars.  The company came to be known for fully assembled, easily affordable cars using high-quality parts.  They were expensive to build with the intensive hands-on attention to detail.  The company built both cars and trucks, almost 60,000 vehicles in total.  The company went out of business in 1930.  It is said that Moon autos were exported to 47 different countries.

This Peddler’s Wagon was recovered from a shed in Wisconsin where it had been stored for about 70 years.  Two mature trees had to be cut down to remove it after all those years.  Peddler’s wagons were very common between 1840 and about 1880 as they sold, bought and traded products with settlers across the mid-west and plains states. 

S.W. Kerr’s daughter learned that Harold Warp had recovered the wagon and that it would be on display at Pioneer Village.  She was very happy to learn that her dad’s wagon had found a home and would be there for all to see.  Her family was from Hurricane Wisconsin…named after a local mine.  Back around 1900 the town had a cheese factory, sawmill, blacksmith, grist mill, post office and the S.W. Kerr General Store.

Mr. Kerr would use a 3 horse hitch on the wagon and he’d roam the countryside selling and trading.  He’d sell or trade groceries, kerosene, dry goods, clothing/shoes, hardware and more.  He’d obtain eggs, animal hides, wild rabbits, crates of chickens and other farm products in exchange for the offerings on the wagon.

Note: Laurie ran across this video on Facebook of a horse powered threshing machine at a 'threshers' gathering from earlier this year.  Very interesting to see just how it was done before engines were used... Check it out at: https://www.facebook.com/reel/324172843619987.  You'll need to copy and paste this in your search bar.

OK…The last building we explored was the Hobby House.  It is the only building where Mr. Warp didn’t try to display collectibles in chronological order.  As I’ve stated many times, Harold Warp collected just about everything.

How about the ‘button collection’!  There are wooden alphabet letters hanging on the wall with each letter covered with 200 to 300 buttons.  There also is a miniature rocking chair, wheelbarrow, wind mill, water well, a star and a covered wagon…all made with wood and covered with bunches of buttons.  My favorite was the ‘button dress’.

So what other Pioneer Village items didn’t I feature?  How about outboard motors, dolls, tools, patches, snowmobiles, several more aircraft, parking meters, gas pumps, seeding and planting farm equipment and one of my favorites, a very large collection of horseshoes.

Any other weird and wonderful exhibits?  Well, yes there are!  The Hobby House has this huge collection of pens as well as salt shakers, ashtrays, pencils, liquor decanters, mechanical banks, nightcaps and spittoons. 

Other items that we didn’t feature in our tour include Currier and Ives prints, the William Henry Jackson paintings, the carousel animals, radio and TV vacuum tubes, fishing trophy mounts and fishing equipment, porcelain figures, famous American figurines…and more!

The Television Show, “American Pickers” visited Pioneer Village and bought a few surplus items earlier this year…and it was featured on one of their shows.  The Pioneer Village is now operated as a 501(c)(3) Foundation and is able to receive tax-deductible donations.  The goal is to restore and improve Pioneer Village.  State grants have helped and surplus/duplicate items have been auctioned off to raise money so the Village can move forward.  Other auctions are planned and hopefully, they will provide needed funds.

To view a short but interesting video that provides an overview of the Village’s collections, just go to https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Pioneer+Village+-+art+collection&mid=E0D55AEDE0D7C8CDA408E0D55AEDE0D7C8CDA408&FORM=VIRE.  It provides a nice overview of the Village’s plethora of objects on display…

My family and I highly recommend a visit to Harold Warp’s Pioneer Village.  If you are a collector, a car buff, a farmer, into history or just like to tour museums, you will enjoy your visit.  Admission is amazingly low at $15.00 per person…especially given their huge and impressive historical collection of Americana.  Website: Home - Pioneer Village - Minden, NE.

…moving on down the road toward Omaha, we decided to stop for a late lunch in Hastings Nebraska.

This is Kitty’s Roadhouse Bar and Grill on US Hwy 6 in Hastings.  A grill or restaurant has been located on this spot since 1958.  In 1958 it was named “Kitty’s” and when the new owners took over in 1972, they decided to stay with the familiar name…and they just added “Roadhouse” to it.

The bar and dining area is over the top colorful and eye-catching.  The racing theme dominates.  I thought that the gas pump draft beer feature was something different, or at least I’d never seen it anywhere else. 

Kitty’s Roadhouse offers sandwiches, broasted chicken, pizzas, salads and steaks.  A couple of appetizers caught my attention.  They were “Shrimp Jammers”, 7 jumbo shrimp stuffed with Monterrey Jack cheese and served with Sweet Thai Chili. ($12.99), and; the “Junk Yard Combo Platter” (Full order $17.99/Half order $12.99).  The combo platter included deep fried mushrooms, cauliflower, corn fritters, onion rings, mini tacos and French fries.

However, since it was too early for a dinner with appetizers, salads, steaks and/or chicken, we all decided to have cheeseburgers with fries.  At Kitty’s, you design your own burger combo.  In keeping with the racing/auto theme, burgers are listed as an F-150, F-250 and F-350…with 1 through 3 beef patties. 

In this case, it was double 1/3 lb. burger patties (F-250) on a grilled bun with pickles and onion. ($9.99) Add tomato and lettuce ($.49), cheese ($.69) and French fries ($3.99) and this burger platter cost $15.16.  The burgers and fries were both above average and we were ready to hit the road back to Omaha with full stomachs… To see more about Kitty’s Roadhouse in Hastings Nebraska, just go to Kitty's Roadhouse|Hastings,NE|Wood-Fired Pizza| Broaster Chicken (kittysroadhouse.net).

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!  Happy Halloween! 

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

…taking a break from our early June road trip to St. Louis Missouri via Owensboro Kentucky.  Taking it easy on this post, just covering happenings in the neighborhood.

When we left for our backroads adventure, this is what the new house across the street from us looked like…a long way to go!

This photo was taken of the same house on the evening we returned from our road trip…10 possible work days after the first photo.

Laurie took this photo of the house 6 days after the previous photo.  Once the framing is up and the trusses are installed, basic construction seems to move at lightning speed!

We’ve met the both the builder and the owner of the property who’s having the house built.  This is an investment for the property owner and he’s planning to sell it early this fall.  Our new neighbors will be a mystery until that happens…

As for the builder, we had a knock on our door one day recently and it was the builder/contractor.  He told us that he’d backed into our mail box and he wanted to let us know that he’d have it properly repaired asap.  In the meantime, he’d made it usable.

Repairs were completed as promised!  It’s been hard to find anyone willing to do smaller jobs in this housing market, but Laurie took matters into her own hands and walked over to the building site and asked if anyone working was an electrician.  It turned out that the builder’s brother was an electrician and he’s already fixed one of our electrical issues for us.  He also provided us with another fellow who is going to do some minor structural work for us. 

Conclusion: There are some tangible advantages to having a home built across the street!  It’s not all bad…

It’s been a long time since either of us has been in an accident but this is a cautionary tale…especially given our penchant for road trips.

After working our way past the accident, we arrived at our destination, the Tellico Landscape and Garden Center at 7300 US Hwy 411 in Greenback Tennessee.  A couple of our boxwoods had ‘bitten the dust/croaked’ with the severe freeze/cold weather sequence that took place here in December.  The boxwoods lasted for almost 14 years… In any case, we ordered our replacement bushes, installation still to be determined. 

While I didn’t take any photos of the nursery, I did take a photo of the owner’s handsome dog.  This is a Shiba Inu, a breed not seen too often in the USA.  While there are 600,000 Shiba Inu in the world today, these dogs almost became extinct during World War II due to a combination of a post-war distemper epidemic and food shortages.  The Shiba Inu was declared to be a National Treasure in Japan back in 1936.  Here in the USA, it is ranked as the 42^nd most popular breed.

To find out more about the Tellico Landscape and Garden Center, to go Tellico Landscape and Garden Center | Greenback TN | Facebook.

Although construction has slowed down a bit, homes are still going up all around us.  It appears that as long as a patch of woodland is close by, the flocks of turkey haven’t abandoned the neighborhood.  This group of Toms or Gobblers appeared to include both mature birds and a number of ‘young fellows’.  They worked their way across the road in front of us and then partook of whatever they could find in that relatively new lawn.

More wildlife!  Laurie was out in the backyard when she spotted this little fellow.  He/she is a box turtle.  Box turtles are characterized by having a shell that’s shaped like a dome.  It’s hinged at the bottom, which allows the animal to close its shell tightly to escape predators.  These turtles commonly live over 20 years with some verified cases when their lifespan exceeded 40 years.  They rarely exceed 6 inches in length.

Box turtles are omnivorous, eating such things as snails, insects, berries, fungi, slugs, worms, flowers, fish, frogs, salamanders, rodents, snakes, birds and eggs.  Apparently, this particular box turtle also liked the red grapes that Laurie provided for a snack.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

This is my final post about our interesting…actually mind boggling…visit to Ye Ole Carriage Shop in Spring Arbor Michigan.  Although there are a couple of automobiles shown below, my overall objective with this posting was to show some additional representative items from the impressive variety of antiques and collectibles on display in this small town museum.  Judi and Lloyd Ganton have created a great museum and, as you’ll learn at the end of this posting, they’re planning to preserve the history they’ve saved so that future generations can understand and appreciate the past.   

What an attractive Sinclair Aircraft fuel sign!  Copies can be purchased by anyone for less than $50.00 but the rare porcelain double-sided signs like this one are another story altogether.  I found a record of one like this that sold in 2021 for $19,800.  

Sinclair Oil is over 100 years old and despite mergers, buyouts, etc. there still are over 1,400 independent Sinclair gas stations across 30 states.  Sinclair anticipated the need for 100-octane gasoline as early as 1937 and, when WWII began, the company was able to quickly expand production of aviation fuel.  Based in Sinclair Wyoming, the company does produce aviation fuel, but nowadays its for jet aircraft. 

In this photo there is a Corvair and I’m not sure what the red sports car is…but take note of the plethora of original signs and those fantastical gas pumps.  I especially love the ‘Mobilgas’ pump with the built-in display case for other automotive products.  That Mobilgas Pegasus flying horse is worth noting as well.  I found one that sold back in 2014 for over $6,000 but I’m not sure how big it was.

Note: I was surprised to learn that Pegasus was originally a symbol used by the Standard Oil Company of New York.

These Burger Chef signs bring back a lot of memories!  When I was attending Michigan State University, I drove a taxi in Jackson Michigan whenever we had a break from school…Christmas, spring break and in the summer.  In those days, I basically rented the cab and had to make a certain amount to pay the ‘rent’ and buy gas.  Everything else was mine to keep…

The Burger Chef in Jackson was located next to the Greyhound Bus Depot and one of the quickest ways to make enough to pay rent and gas was to pick up a couple of fares from the bus station and run them out to the Southern Michigan Prison so they could visit their family members or significant others.  That prison run was a flat amount per passenger in each direction…

In any case, I’d arrive at the bus station a bit before the bus was due and I’d pick up lunch from Burger Chef…usually 2 flame broiled double cheeseburgers and a vanilla shake.  I loved those burgers!  The company was founded in 1954 and at one point Burger Chef operated 1,200 locations.  The last Burger Chef closed in 1996.

This room features motorcycles, toy trucks and cars, an old outboard motor, including more oil/gas company products and, of course signs.  The Motorcycles include a 1949 2-cylinder Harley-Davidson and a 1947 Indian as well as one from Sears.  The Sears model looks like it dates back to 1913 or 1914.  The top of the line model in 1914 sold for $197.00.   

Moving on we came to this room full of bicycles, toy fire apparatus and more trucks…from floor to ceiling. (Keep in mind that this series of photos only shows one end of the rooms) The bicycles include a classic Schwinn and an equally classic Columbia.  I noted that one of the older units had belonged to a local Spring Arbor resident.  Locals have continued to donate items to Ye Ole Carriage Shop over the years.

Schwinn was in business from 1895 until 1992 when it went into bankruptcy.  It is now owned by Pacific Cycle, a Dutch Company.

Columbia made bicycles from 1877 until the recession of 1991.  The company has started making bicycles again…the Superb 5-Star Cruiser Bike…old style with balloon tires.  A new men’s “Cruiser” can be purchased at Dunham’s Sports for $194.97.

The primary focus in this photo is the 1932 “High Boy” hot rod.  But, looking beyond the High Boy, one can see hundreds of toy autos as well as showcase after showcase full of model aircraft.

The Ford High Boy Hot Rod is called a ‘high boy’ because the body is mounted on top of the chassis and another feature is the lack of fenders.  These 1932 Ford Hot Rods are considered to be the very first of the hot rods.  Prices for a 1932 High Boy in excellent condition range from $65,000 up to $700,000…quite a range.  

Variety is evident with this photo.  At the right there is a 2-man ‘cutter’ or sleigh built by the Jackson Vehicle Company in 1900.  I’ve never had the experience of riding in a horse drawn sleigh…

Just to the left of the sleigh/cutter sits a 1959 Cushman 1-cylinder Trail Master.  Cushman, originally based in Lincoln Nebraska, began making “Auto-Glide” scooters in 1936 as a way to increase the company’s sales of Husky engines during the Great Depression.  Cushman scooters were widely utilized by the United States military during WWII.  After the war, they served as an alternative to automobiles.  Cushman produced 15,000 scooters in 1958.  The company stopped building scooters in 1965.

Yet another horse drawn conveyance from the early part of the 1900s.  This one man buggy was built in 1905 in Jackson Michigan by the Ames-Dean Carriage Company.  Prior to the dominance of the newfangled automobiles, Jackson buggy and carriage business produced thousands of vehicles every year.  Major players in this ‘horse before the cart’ business included the Fuller Buggy Company, the Jackson Carriage Company and of course, the Ames-Dean Carriage Company.  Many of these carriage/buggy companies morphed into auto makers...

So you’re not into automobiles, toy cars and trucks, buggies, motorcycles, model airplanes or automotive related items… How about genuine Coca- Cola products, signage and souvenirs?  One of our last stops was a room that was loaded from floor to ceiling with Coca-Cola antiques and collectibles.  There are 6.5 oz. Coke bottles and cans from everywhere, advertising posters, promotional items such as thermometers and clocks, old time Coke signs, coolers, Coke machines, toys, trays and much more.

Of course there just has to be a soda counter available to go with all that Coca-Cola memorabilia!  Of course, the Coke collection continued here as well.  This room is used for parties and meetings.  Of note, the Board of Directors for Ye Ole Carriage Shop holds their meetings in this room with its soda counter and the amazing collection of Coca Cola items…

If you’re old enough to remember what kitchens looked like in the late 1940s and at least the first part of the 1950s, this kitchen may look very familiar to you.  My better half thought that it looked just like her family kitchen when she was young.  In any case, this essentially was Judi Ganton’s family kitchen.  She’s ‘recreated’ the space here in the museum.  I wouldn’t be surprised if that General Electric refrigerator still works.  They built them to last back in the day…

Ah, this gathering of memorabilia represents yet another family memory for yours truly.  Jacobson’s was an upscale American regional department store chain.  It was based in Jackson Michigan and it primarily operated in Michigan and Florida.  They also had stores in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Kansas.  This was my mother’s favorite store for both clothing selection and service.  Even after she stopped going out shopping, they would shop for her and deliver what she wanted.  Jacobson’s entered bankruptcy in 2002 after 164 years of service to its customers.

Even I don’t remember having an old Philco television.  To be honest, I don’t remember our family’s first TV.  My early memories are more radio related.  We listened to “The Shadow”, Red Skelton, Burns and Allen, Lassie, Dragnet…and of course Detroit Tiger Baseball. 

I do know that I was about the last person in our neighborhood to hold onto my black and white console TV, finally giving it up in the early 1970s.  As for that Philco television, I believe that it is a Philco Predicta, a black and white TV chassis style.  This iconic design had the picture tube (CRT) separated from the rest of the cabinet.

Another trip down memory lane…a 1958 – 1959 Montgomery Ward catalog.  My last position in retailing per se was with Montgomery Ward.  It all came to a crashing halt when the company closed all of its stores in 2001.  Although the catalog operations had closed down when I joined the company, I loved wandering through the cavernous former Chicago catalog warehouse.  I do have a number of Montgomery Ward collectibles but I haven’t decided what to do with them yet…

Why did I include this photo of a toy/tin airplane?  Because if you look again you’ll see that it’s really an unusual and rare child’s pedal car.

Yes…Ye Ole Carriage Shop has the largest collection of children’s pedal cars that I’ve ever seen.  The walls of yet another room are covered with these once popular outdoor toys.  These days, pedal cars are still being built but they aren’t as popular as they used to be.  Many kids with child-size vehicles today, ‘drive’ battery powered versions.  The second photo shows an assortment of the oldest pedal cars owned by Ye Ole Carriage Shop.

Child-size pedal cars became very popular toys in the 1920s and 1930s.  They were mostly toys form wealthy families as they were expensive.  First on the marketplace in the 1890’s, early pedal cars were made of wood.  It wasn’t too long though before manufacturers began rolling metal pedal cars off the assembly lines.  Many were as well equipped as were their full size ‘adult’ counterparts.  In addition to pedal automobiles and airplanes, there was a wide assortment of trucks, buses, trains, boats, earth moving equipment and tractors for the discerning young pedal car enthusiast. 

The first American company to build these wheeled toys was the Garton Toy Company.  It was founded in 1887.  By the 1930s American National was the largest maker of kid’s vehicles.  American National exported pedal cars to about 30 countries.  With the onset of WWII, steel was needed for the war effort and production of pedal cars ceased.  In the 1950s and 1960s, the business restarted but plastic and safety standards brought an end to wide-spread metal car production. 

Collection of pedal cars isn’t for the faint-hearted.  An early Gendron Buick pedal car sold for $12,000 in the spring of 2018.  I found an ad on eBay for a rare 1926 Gendron pedal car airplane ($3,225.00).  To view a plethora of imaginative pedal cars…70 in all…that were sold in auction in 2015, just go to https://newatlas.com/70-vintage-pedal-cars-lead-to-record-sale-of-automobilia-collectibles/35758/.

And so ends our exploration of Ye Ole Carriage Shop in Spring Arbor Michigan.  Thanks to Judi Ganton for serving as informative tour-guide.  Ye Ole Carriage Shop is an amazing private collection!  The good news for future generations is that Judi and Lloyd have set up a trust to ensure that the collection is maintained and available for many years to come.  To learn more about Ye Ole Carriage Shop, you can just go to: https://www.yeolecarriageshop.com/. 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

One more day with our friends Gary and Belinda…and yet another day of history!  But first a bit of a diversion via scenic backroads.

I do believe that we have taken anyone who has visited us, (and who has spent at least one night at our house), to Bald River Falls in the Smoky Mountains.  A paved road crosses the Bald River via a bridge just below the falls themselves, making the scene available to anyone and everyone.  It wasn’t too crowded on the day we visited but a few folks were in the water below the falls.  For the record, Bald River Falls are located in the Cherokee National Forest in Monroe County Tennessee.

Of course, we did have to take photos commemorating the visit…this one of Belinda and Gary.

Since Gary and I are not only friends but also high school classmates, we had to take a photo for the archives…

The Charles Hall Museum and Heritage Center, with its 2 buildings and Gift Shops, is located adjacent to the Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  I’m guessing that many just drive by the museum as they may think that it’s just a ‘come-on” or ploy to bring folks into the gift shops… Actually, the gift shops are secondary to the museum but they do help fund them.

The Charles Hall museum opened in 2003 with the goal of preserving regional history while specifically emphasizing the scenic Tellico Plains area.  A local historian since boyhood, Charles was born in Tellico Plains in 1924.  His mother’s family settled in the area back in 1830 and his father’s family moved here in 1908.  Among several other public service positions, Charles served as mayor for 31 years.

While it’s certainly not all about firearms, the display of guns at the museum is quite impressive.  The collection includes over 330 historical firearms, a 450 year old matchlock musket, a 1776 Brown Bell musket, an 1824 Harpers Ferry rifle, a British Sten gun and both 30 caliber and 50 caliber machine guns.

The weapon displayed in the second photo is a Lanchester 9mm Submachine gun with a bayonet mount.  It is a British copy of a German Maschinen Pistole 28 (MP-28) produced during World War II.  The Lanchester version was primarily used by the British Navy until 1970.

Sorry about the quality of the photos.  The museum has enclosed many if not most of its artifacts under plexi-glass.  Since visitors are on their own here, with no guides or guards, this method of securing the displays is the most effective and efficient. 

The first photo shows the evolution of music from old time Victrola’s down through the first transistor radios and a Sony Walkman.  Note the record player used for 45 records. 

The second photo shows just a couple of the old fashioned record players installed in their own cabinets…when we had records…and when they were an important piece of the household’s furniture. 

Included in related displays are the first 1887 Edison phonographs, Victor Talking Machines…and the first television in Tellico Plains.  It was a 1950 Zenith “Kilmer” TV, Radio and Phonograph all included in one cabinet.  The TV screen measured 165 square inches (roughly 10” by 16”) and it was ‘reflection-proof’.  

Then there is this wall of typewriters!  There are many more typewriters in the collection than this photo shows.  Many youngsters today may not even know what a typewriter is…

Other items included in the first building include Native American tools, projectile points, beads, jewelry, pottery and more.  Add in antique coins and paper currency ranging from a half cent on up to a $10,000 gold certificate.  Antique tools, cross cut saws, 1800’s pig irons from the long departed Tellico Iron Works, local historic photos, documents and maps, the first bank safe and deposit coins from Tellico Plains and a large collection of early musical instruments…including a Melodian, a Ukelin, and a 6-sided harmonica.

This Dalton Adding Machine was the computer/calculator of its time!  It was first introduced in 1902 with most of them being built in Missouri.  In 1915 these adding machines were priced between $125 and $150 each.  In today’s dollars that would be from $3,362 to 4,035 each!  In 1919 Dalton’s ads stated that the US Government had 4,000 of these units in use… The company was eventually folded in the Remington-Rand Corporation.

As the road system and communications expanded, the demands for service vehicles grew exponentially.  Ford Motor Company came to the rescue with its inexpensive Model-T body frame that could be adapted to meet many needs of the time.  This former Ford Model-T repair truck belonged to the Southern Bell Telephone Company for many years.  It’s equipped with a 4-cylinder 20 Horse Power motor!

One of the first things you see upon entering the 2^nd building of the museum, is a big wall of old time phones.  There are over400 of them!  Even if an old phone is equipped with a dial, young folk today have a tough time figuring out how to use the phone.  I can’t imagine how confused and confounded they’d be if asked to complete a call on this style phone!  This particular phone was built no later than 1903…that’s 128 years ago.

Note: As late as 1920 only 35% of American homes had a telephone.

Other phone related items on display in this second building include over 800 unique telephone insulators, 16 old manual switchboards, a cross-section of an underground cable vault, the last electromechanical dial switching station used in Tennessee, 4 antique telephone booths and about 500 antique telephone tools and test equipment. 

This was one of the motorcycles on display.  It’s a 1969 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Police Special…the model is referred to as a ‘shovel-head’.  Formerly used by a police department in Alabama, this motorcycle’s last long trip was to Washington D.C. in “Rolling Thunder’s” Ride to the Wall.

I love old cars and that love was rewarded by this restored 1934 Plymouth Mayflower that was on display.  The hood ornament is very cool...a sailing ship leading the way!  I couldn't find one for sale on line...

Beyond what I've shown or discussed there was still so much more to look at!  This is a complete local moonshine still, lots of old tools including logging tools, log tongs, saws and blacksmithing tools… Early Appalachian homesteading artifacts include washing machines, stoves, pots, treadle sewing machines, corn grinders, a weaver’s loom and spinning wheels.

The displays continued with a USFS Fire Finder, a 1906 permanent wave machine, 1960s grinding stones from a local mill, a flip treadle dentist drill and an antique railroad inspection/repair cart from Madisonville TN.

This little museum is packed with interesting artifacts and lots of history.  It never fails to amaze me what one person can accomplish… The Charles Hall Museum and Heritage Center is located at 229 Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  From March through December, they are open 7 days a week from 10 AM until 5 PM.  In January and February they are open on Friday, Saturday and Sundays only from 10 AM until 5 PM.  Phone: 423-253-8000.  Website: https://www.charleshallmuseum.com/. 

Did I mention that admission to the museum is Free?!  They will of course accept donations but they don’t push for them.  As I mentioned in the beginning, the gift shops help support the museum.

So…Gary and Belinda headed west…back to the wilds of southern Arizona.  We had a great time visiting…and complaining about the aging process!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave