Collection Features Old Cistern And Well Pumps

Collection Features Old Cistern And Well Pumps AG WORLD About 20 years ago Bob  Daniels started collecting old cistern and well pumps at farm auctions mainly in the Amish and Mennonite country of Canada “Many of them were in pieces I then restored them painting some with farm equipment colors ” says Daniels     He has about 50 pumps in his collection dating from the late 1800’s up until about 1940 “Most pumps came out of the factory in black or green but just to brighten them up I’ve repainted many of my pumps the same colors found on Deere Massey Ford and other farm equipment I’ve had up to 70 pumps at one point but have sold a few off over the years “In their times these pumps were very important Every farm and home had one ” says Daniels “At shows many people will tell me they remember a certain pump because their farm had one just like it when they were growing up ” The collection started one day when his wife suggested Daniels buy an old pump to use as a garden decoration “I found one at an auction and was impressed with how it looked especially the detail in the castings They really make the pump stand out He often displays about 40 of the pumps on a specially made trailer that he brings to farm shows and other events On the trailer he keeps a small working model of a cistern pump that shows how it works “Cisterns were generally located under the house where rain water was collected from the roof The pumps were usually mounted on the kitchen counter – although there were some wall-mount pumps available” says Daniels “The pump would lift water from a depth of up to 20 ft ” One of the most unusual pumps is a small solid brass model about 10 in high that was used in a railway dining car where one could pump their own glass of water ” says Daniels   Daniels’s oldest cast iron pump was designed by a man named Hiram Field “He had his name and patent date of July 15 1892 imprinted right in the casting ” says Daniels “In fact some of the castings on these old pumps are very ornate even though they didn’t need to be because a well pump is a very functional piece of equipment But some companies put a lot of work into making their castings look gorgeous ” Quite a few of the pumps have copper and brass And some of them are nicely customized For example one of his Beatty well pumps is painted in a Harley Davidson theme complete with a skull and wings insignia A Woortman and Ward pump is painted red and black and used as a mailbox holder for a Farmall collector And Daniels painted a Beatty pump green and yellow for a local Deere collector He has one pump that is extremely rare “In fact I’ve never seen another one like it ” says Daniels “It was made by a windmill manufacturer and built with a big long handle at the base of the pump instead of toward the top ” He also has a couple of rare wooden well pumps that were made in the late 1800’s before cistern pumps came along There are still a few old well pumps around in rural areas but they’re becoming very scarce says Daniels “I refurbish the odd one and sometimes sell duplicates in my collection “I’ve paid up to $500 for a pump if it’s extremely rare but generally you can get them at auctions for $50 to $150 ” Daniels says knockoff working pumps are still being made in China “You can always pick these pumps out because they’re very plain and a little smaller than our well pumps ‘Made in China’ is printed right in the casting ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Bob Daniels 695 Powell Court Burlington Ontario Canada L7R 3E7 ph 905 333-9018; bob daniels45@gmail com

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