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It's a Ford: 1921

Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "Ford tractor demonstration." The fenced-in rock with "District of Columbia" plaque may be a clue to the venue. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "Ford tractor demonstration." The fenced-in rock with "District of Columbia" plaque may be a clue to the venue. View full size.

 

On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5

Parading vs. plowing

The Fordsons with the disc wheels/mufflers/license plates/horn/tires are industrial versions for road use and the ones with the spoke wheels did the plowing. There were road bands available for the agricultural version, but not visible on these examples.

Grammar X4

The painter for the Robey Motor Co. sign may have had a steady hand but his possessive pronouns were shaky.

Boundary Stone NE1

The boundary stone pictured is NE1.

The 1921 Washington Herald article cited earlier describes the location in the photo this way: "the estate of former Senator Blair Lee, near Georgia avenue and the District line."

Similarly, http://boundarystones.org/read.php?page=rchs_1907/74 and http://boundarystones.org/read.php?page=rchs_1907/75 describe the location of boundary stone NE1 this way:

"Having compassed the Maryland part of the line lying to the northwest of the District we turn now at right angles and enter upon the northeast line, No. 1 of which stands or rather leans at a decided angle, in a cultivated field belonging to Hon. Blair Lee, on the estate owned and occupied by Francis P. Blair. It is in fair condition and when visited was embedded in a luxuriant crop of cow-peas, which plainly show in the picture. ...

This point was the central one in the battle of Fort Stevens and Hon. Montgomery Blair's house, one fourth of a mile north of the spot was burned by the raiders on July 12, 1864.

Silver Spring on the Seventh Street road is one of the landmarks of this section, being a beautiful spring of living water flowing through the finest of sand. The
stone is situated near the entrance gates not far from the point where the double track of the Electric R. R. ends and the Forest Glen single track begins. North of it a short distance is the Silver Spring station on the B. & O. R. R. and eastward in a glorious grove of chestnut trees, may be seen the old Admiral Lee mansion now occupied by Mrs. James Blair."
______________________________

We have Fred Woodward, whose family co-founded Woodward & Lothrop, to thank for all of this great information.

Unfortunately, the stone went missing in 1952. http://boundarystones.org/view.php?stone=NE1 shows the plaque in its place now.

An older photo of the stone, from a different angle, is at http://boundarystones.org/read.php?page=rchs_1907/68c and pictured below.

Tractors in Washington

One does not generally associate agricultural equipment with the nation's capital. I suppose that they're handy for spreading fertilizer.

Hoyt Clagwell

I think one of those ended up being sold to Oliver Wendell Douglas by Mr. Haney.

Our Buddy in the Battered Barouche

Aha! The newspaper that is the source of the tractor story also has the ad for the Frederick and Washington Bus Line from this story.

https://www.shorpy.com/node/18649

Demon Fordsons

Washington Herald, Sunday, October 2, 1921.

D.C. SUBURBAN FARMERS
SHOWN VALUE OF TRACTORS
IN CULTIVATING SOIL

'DEMON' FORDSONS
PLOUGH FIVE-ACRE
TRACT IN ONE DAY

Washington Branch Ford
Motor Co. Gives
Tractor Demonstration

LOCAL MEN ATTEND

Snappy Parade of Forty
Fords Precedes
Novel Event.

        With their engines industrially humming, five Fordson tractors ploughed a five-acre tract in lightning time last Monday on the estate of former senator Blair Lee, near Georgia avenue and the District line.

        The following local Ford dealers were represented at the demonstration: Hill and Tibbitts, Robey Motor Company, Universal Auto Company, Strobel Motor Company, Parkway Motor Company, R.L. Taylor Company, Donohoe Motor Company, and Steuart's Garage. Each company had a tractor on the field.

        Leaving the Washington branch of the Ford Motor Company at 10 o'clock in the morning the procession of tractors and approximately forty Ford automobiles rode up Pennsylvania avenue from John Marshall place, around the Treasury, up Sixteenth street and the to the demonstration grounds.

Continue reading ...

D.C Boundary Stone

It's one of the District of Columbia Boundary Stones, maybe along the northwest border. It could be NW9 in Chevy Chase.

Huh?

Why would you fence in a rock instead of winching it up and hauling it away? I imagine any one of those tractors would be capable of dragging it off the field.

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