This week’s question: These girls were a very important part of an industry that really put Baldwinsville on the map. Do you know what their job was? Can you identify any of them?
Last week’s answer: The photo from last week was taken on June 23, 1947, at the Ralph Thayer farm, current site of Harbour Heights. Ralph owned Baldwinsville Farm Supply, Inc. from 1936 until his retirement in 1965. His business was located on Downer Street where Route 690 is now.
This gathering was a farm machinery demonstration for International Harvester. A Post-Standard article stated that: “Several hundred International Harvester Co. dealers and their personnel had a preview of the new Farmall cub tractor designed with matched equipment, particularly for the farm with 40 acres or less of cropland.”
Besides being the owner of Baldwinsville Farm Supply, Ralph was instrumental in forming the New York Farm Equipment Dealers Association. Through his efforts and others the group grew from a weak unorganized group to 500 members. Amenities included a paid secretary, insurance programs to cover the members business, employees and families of their employees. Several types of automatic and simplified accounting systems, trade-in manuals and many other things to help the modern dealer were incorporated. He was president in 1946, and a member of the National Board of Directors from 1953 until his retirement in 1965.
Tim Colson wrote to the Messenger with the correct answer.
“I have a few pictures from the family because Pearl Thayer was a good buddy of my mother’s for many years,” Colson wrote.
Below are Tim Colson’s photos:
Email your guess to [email protected] or leave a message with your guess at 315-434-8889 ext. 310 by noon Friday. If you are the first person to correctly identify an element in the photo before the deadline, your name and guess will appear in next week’s newspaper, along with another History Mystery feature. History Mystery is a joint project of the Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse and the Baldwinsville Public Library.
