My grandfather, Caner Swann, was a farmer in Robertson County, Tennessee. He and his brother, Will, were business partners and they worked together during the first half of the twentieth century. Throughout their lives they witnessed many events that were historically significant, such as: World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. They also saw a lot of changes in the way farming was done. Near the end of his life, my grandfather was heard to say, "When I was young I studied by the light of an oil lamp and now I read my newspaper by an electric light. I rode in a buggy and now I have ridden in an airplane. I cut wheat with a cradle and now I have driven a self-propelled combine."
One part of my grandfather's farming experience was the steam engine. The invention of the steam traction engine opened the door to technological advances in agriculture in an age where work was either done by hand or with the aid of livestock. Farming was still labor intensive, but the farmer could harness steam power to work more efficiently. So the steam engine became a part of farm life and its whistle began to announce the advance of the seasons just a much as the blooming of the dogwood trees in the spring or the first autumn frost.
The steam whistle is no longer a part of the rhythm of life. It has been replaced by the growl of a Diesel engine. I imagine I wouldn't get many takers on the offer to return to the steam era. But it sure is fun to remember the days when those whistles called farmers to their work.
— Joe Swann
This is the story about a steam engine called Kay-Gee 1875. Engines like Kay-Gee 1875 were used in the first half of the Twentieth Century. These pages explore and preserve the ways the steam traction engine was used on farms in Robertson County, Tennessee, what farm life was like at that time, and how the equipment worked. The main story presented as somewhat of a biography of Kay-Gee 1875 to provide a framework for presenting the topics covered.
You can see Kay-Gee 1875 in action at the Tennessee-Kentucky Threshermen's Show.
The next show is July 16-17, 2010.
