Show offers a trip through time

PENFIELD, Ill. — Forty-seven years ago, five buddies were reminiscing about the “good old days” of agriculture when they came up with an idea that has since grown far beyond expectations.

Bill White, Harvey Phillips and Dave, Daniel and Richard Allison met at White’s farm south of Alvin in 1976, marking the beginnings of the I & I Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Club.

The club’s goals included preserving farming methods of the past and preservation and restoration of yesteryear’s equipment.

That led to the notion of an annual get-together to showcase the restored equipment at an annual show that would become what is now Historic Farm Days.

The first show was held in 1987 at the Middle Fork River Forest Preserve north of Penfield.

The two-day event featured wheat harvesting, plowing, threshing and antique equipment displays.

Over the years, the show grew to include a sawmill, blacksmith shop, tractor pulls and parts vendors. The show expanded to three days in 1992.

An opportunity arose a few years later that would change the course of the annual event and provide another big boost for the growing organization with the creation of the permanent Agriculture History Center and the I & I Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Club Showgrounds at Penfield.

The club purchased the 12-acre Penfield Improvement Association property in 1996, which included the former Penfield Grade School and 12 additional acres.

This was done through the generous support of club members and friends in the community who held fundraisers and donated and loaned money to the club and formed the nucleus of a facility to host the annual event.

The timing of the Penfield purchase could not have been better.

The 1996 show as supposed to be held at Middle Fork River Forest Preserve. However, County Road 22 was under construction and was not going to be finished in time for the show and two weeks before the show the decision was made to move it the Penfield grounds.

In just two weeks, the Penfield ground was cleared, the former grade school was cleaned up and painted and all of the equipment was moved from the forest preserved to the new show grounds.

Over subsequent years, club members made improvements to the show site and persevered through challenges.

The school was renovated in 1996 and 1997. Other buildings were added to the show grounds over time, including a new club hall, sawmill building, band pavilion, pork palace, tractor pull track and grandstands, blacksmith shop, north shed, feature brand building, Methodist Church, log cabin and Maplewood one-room schoolhouse.

Historic Farms Days was expanded to four days in 2001.

A museum in the former grade school was established in 2003 to further enhance the visitors’ experience. It’s open throughout the show and by appointment from April through September.

Over the years, the Penfield site has grown to approximately 120 acres. The show continues to draw thousands of spectators each year to both reminisce and learn about agriculture’s history.

Each show highlights specific antique tractor and equipment brands in an eight-year rotation.

Brands in the rotation are John Deere, J.I. Case, Allis Chalmers, Oliver, International Harvester, Minneapolis Moline, Massey Harris/Ferguson and Ford.

John Deere tractors and equipment will be highlighted this year along with the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the D tractor and E engine.