Gaar, Scott & Co., was an American

threshing machine A threshing machine or a thresher is a piece of farm equipment that threshes grain, that is, it removes the seeds from the stalks and husks. It does so by beating the plant to make the seeds fall out. Before such machines were developed, threshi ...

and

steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

traction engine A traction engine is a steam engine, steam-powered tractor used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin ''tractus'', meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any t ...

builder founded in 1849 and based in

Richmond, Indiana Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situa ...

. The company built simple and compound engines in sizes from 10 to 50

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

Farm machinery Agricultural machinery relates to the mechanical structures and devices used in farming or other agriculture. There are many types of such equipment, from hand tools and power tools to tractors and the countless kinds of farm implements that the ...

produced by the firm were advertised as part of "the Tiger Line" and used a tiger upon two globes as the company logo. In the Fall of 1869, A. Gaar & Co. won "Best Portable Farm Steam Engine" and "Best Eight Horse Power" at the 17th Illinois State Fair, for which it won two Silver Medal prizes. It merged with the M. Rumley Co. in 1911 during a purchasing frenzy that put the later firm into insolvency. The company was reorganized as

Advance-Rumely The Advance-Rumely Company of La Porte, Indiana was an American pioneering producer of many types of agricultural machinery, most notably threshing machines and large tractors. Started in 1853 manufacturing threshers and later moved on to steam en ...

Thresher Company Inc. Advance-Rumely Thresher Company was later purchased by

Allis-Chalmers Allis-Chalmers was a U.S. manufacturer of machinery for various industries. Its business lines included agricultural equipment, construction equipment, power generation and power transmission equipment, and machinery for use in industrial setti ...

Mfg. Co. The

Abram Gaar House and Farm The Abram Gaar House and Farm or known as the Gaar Mansion is a wooden Second Empire-style farm home located in Richmond, Indiana, built in 1876 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The home was built by industrialist Abram G ...

is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

and open as a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

. The Gaar-Scott office building, designed by noted architect John A. Hasecoster, still stands in Richmond and is the headquarters of Richmond Baking, a large commercial baker.

References

External links

Restoration of one of the two remaining 40hp Gaar-Scott traction engines
Agricultural machinery manufacturers of the United States Richmond, Indiana Defunct companies based in Indiana Steam engine manufacturers 1849 establishments in Indiana 1911 disestablishments in Indiana Manufacturing companies established in 1849 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1911 Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaar, Scott and Co.