‘A way to keep history alive’

See, buy antique farm equipment at historic Dudley Farm

GUILFORD — A turn-of-thecentury farm tractor. A four-horse reaper. A “one-lunger” gasoline engine that produces a wheezing “pop, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, pop” sound and was also known as a hit-or-miss engine.

Whether you’re an American history buff or weekend antiquer, those examples of vintage items will be available for purchase at the Antique Motor and Farm Equipment Show on Saturday, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

The event, hosted by the Dudley Foundation, will be on the grounds of the Dudley Farm Museum, the late 19th-century agricultural museum located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Routes 77 and 80 in North Guilford.

Proceeds from the show will go toward restoring an 1879 Chase Turbine Saw Mill.

“We want to make it a working mill, so people can come and see how it was used to convert logs into lumber on a 19th century farm,” said its owner Craig Reynolds, who donated it to Dudley Farm.

It’s all part of the museum’s mission to reanimate the farm as it functioned in the 19th century.

“The Dudley Farm is a working farm and it has a lot of the old, original machinery that was used from the 1800s and 1900s that they still use,” Reynolds said, adding that the farmhouse will display other pieces of farm machinery, including a loom. “It’s history and it’s a way to keep history alive.”

The display will also feature antique farm and machinery-related equipment selected from the Dudley Farm collections for sale, as well as antique motors, including that onelung motor that despite its gasping ways, was essential to a working farm.

“Farmers used them for filling silos, threshing grain, and pressing hay, as well as operating water

pumps, butter churns, or any other use where wheels had to be turned,” according to collector Earl Leighton, Jr.

There is no charge for looking, exhibiting, or telling tall tales, museum director Beth Payne said.

Exhibitors are welcome to show their rusty or restored antique machinery. Those interested should call Craig Reynolds at 203707-4250.

Dudley Farm is located on the northeast corner of Routes 77 and 80 at 2351 Durham Road.

The museum is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, call 203-457-0770 or visit dudleyfarm.com.

Contributed photos Buster Scranton making his popping corn at Dudley Farm in Guilford.

A hay rake on display.