It was a call from the Sycamore Steam Show club to International Harvester Collectors Chapter 2 that prompted President Tom Hoffman to contact members and rally the troops to bring their Farmall tractors to this historic farm in Warrenville, Ill.

Brooks McCormick, a descendant of Cyrus McCormick, once head of International Harvester, lived on this property before it became part of the DuPage County Forest Preserve. Each year the St. James Farm has a Homecoming event over the Memorial Day weekend to kick off the summer season and the third this year was the first where IH tractors were on display.
Tom, who has been with Chapter 2 since it began more than 20 years ago, brought his Farmall H, a hand-operated display of three McCormick Deering cream separators and a sickle sharpener that he mounted on a steel wheel.
The oldest tractors at the Homecoming were easy to spy. Two Moguls – one an 8-16, 1916 Mogul that belonged to Ron Hattendorf and a newer and larger 10-20 Mogul belonged to brothers Roger and Howard Schnell – were on display. Roger Schnell observed, “It is amazing to think what this (the tractor) did; it created horseless farming and really opened the door to agriculture.”
Newer tractors were also at the show; the newest may have belonged to Mike Mashevis, who shared his two Cub Cadets. He had a 1961 Original Cub Cadet with serial number 682, which was one of the first built that first week of January. Built 20 years later, Mike had the 1981 revised version that he made a diesel and turbo-charged.

This year IH visitors had the chance to enjoy the way the McCormick family profiles International Harvester history. Visitors saw the columns and archway from the entrance, to the old William Deering and Co. facility in the farm’s courtyard. The wall contains elements from four factories associated with IH.
The stone lettering is from McCormick Reaper Manufactory, which was rebuilt after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The arch and columns are from Deering and Co. In 1902, these two companies and smaller ones merged to form the International Harvester Corp., whose insignia appears on the wall’s west end.
Attached to the columns are tablets from the IH International Tractor Works, and at the east end of the wall are tablets from the Milwaukee Works.

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.