Folks Of Interest My grandpaw’s shop

He’s the guy on the left.
Had a gas station/repair shop in Jackson Tn.
Loved GM products. I hear he was a hard man. I didn’t know that version, he was always cool to us grandkids.
Never knew if he set foot in a church until his funeral. Never attended a wedding for his kids. Sounds harsh, but he grew up in very hard times.
He used to give us grandkids a silver dollar when we would visit.
My uncle still has some of his tools. Hope I can end up with one or two of em.
His mechanical knowledge was passed to my uncle, a machinist then I guess a fraction of that was passed to me.
My only regret is not asking more questions.

 

Cool, those are some old timey tools hanging on them shop walls.

 

That is so very cool. And a great pic.

 

Appreciation of GM products has been proven to foster harsh feelings in many a man. LOL

 

Tools of the time to do the jobs of the time. You didn't need a lot of tools to work on a car before the early 70's. I don't think I owned a Metric wrench until I worked in a Firestone tire store in the early 70's.

 

Kool picture............
I never could figure out why a mechanic would wear a white uniform. That would last me about 15 minutes when I'm in the shop. Naw, just kiddin.......they wouldn't even last 15 minutes

 

Very cool picture!

 

Great picture of Americana !

 

Great picture.
The closest I have of grandads shop is my avatar picture, never met the man, gone long before me.

 

My grandfather used to say
"Good for you, makes you tough, builds character. "

 

Lucky if it would last me 15 minutes at the dinner table!
But I love the picture, and comments on the Granddad.

 

You mention regreting not asking more questions. That is so true. I think of all the things and events witnessed by those who went before us. How much history has passed with them because we did not think to ask questions when we had the time. My grandfather saw farming go from mules to tractors, rural electrification, vacuum systems and pipelines replacing milk buckets, and many more huge changes, I never thought to ask him about any of those things.
B

 

Great photograph. It's cool to zoom in with the function of the I pad and try to identify the various tools, so far the easy ones are the valve spring compressor, the grease gun, the torque wrench, the gear puller, various speed handles and the flaring block!

 

That picture and your memories are treasures. I think Grandpaw would be proud of you and your knowledge. Real history, Real people.

 

Cool view of the past.
A lot of hard working men didn’t have the time to stop for any reason.
They seen themselves as displaying their dedication to family by providing the means for shelter, food, clothes, schooling and even weddings.
Hard nose and a hard worker.
Sounds like my dad AND his description of my grandfather whom I never met.
Thx for sharing.
My grandpa......

 

It brings meaning to, when someone dies a library closes.

 

Well we figured you must have it in your blood Anthony. But it’s satisfying to see the proof.

 

The silver dollar to the grand kids must have been a sign of the times. My great grandfather would do the same when we'd visit.

Great picture!

 

I got a pretty good education from my gramps and all the guys who worked for him over the years. He was into a lot of stuff, owned an International truck n tractor dealership in the 50's and early 60's, which also did general repairs and maintained the school's bus fleet. Main business was ag lime spreading, with REOs, Binders and 3 deuce n a halfs and half a dozen loaders, Ford 8N and Fordson Major, Fergusen, Trojan, Michigan etc. Had several farms, and did crops that would keep his guys busy in the off seasons, and even sold coal in the winter. Had a little complex at home, old dairy barn converted to a shop that held 2 trucks with a work area, and a couple other barns for truck storage. Engines built in the shop, usually the REO sixes and Wisconsin V4s that powered the lime spreaders. My first complete build was one of those V4s, by myself, at age 10. Learned how to do valve jobs, hone cylinders, wheel bearings, split rim truck wheels etc. I have quite a few of the old tools from the shop, the mics, a Champion Plugmaster 3/8 ratchet that the Champion rep gave gramps in the 50's, and my favorite ratchet, a HD 3/8, long handle with a swivel head. My uncle had a body shop for a while, and always painted everything, and his BIL was a very good, meticulous engine builder. Large tractors, IH, Deere and Ford, combines, all that stuff- I started running a combine at 10, and was driving the 2-stick 10 whl dump trucks at 11. No wonder I'm a little tired

 

I can almost smell the inside of that shop.

 

My grandfather on my dad's side was a silversmith and that was something to see as a kid. Him casting stuff or polishing the silver was magic to me as a little kid . My mom's dad died when she was young but he was a mechanic so seems some of it rubbed off on me

 

Yep, this is the one thing that bothered me and my sisters after my parents died. So many questions come up way too late.

 

Yep. I never was able to visit it. He had been retired for some time when I showed up.
I guess it smelled like my uncles shop, a combination of oil, grease, exhaust and steel. Toss in some grindings and dust.

 

Anthony, that’s a great picture and wonderful story. My Grandad was an industrial arts teacher and life long woodworker. I can still picture his shop and miss it and him very much. He wasn’t a mechanic, but changed his own oil. Grandad and my Dad have given me the greatest gift of all, my work ethic. Grandad was a life long Ford man, that’s where I got it from.


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Both my granddads were retired by the time I showed up. Both worn out from decades of labor still had super sharp minds.
I got the benefit of working with my uncles and dad so I guess I got the trickle down affect of my granddads knowledge.

 

Never was around my grandparents much. Was a pall bearer at my grandads funeral.
My dad was a hard working self taught mechanic. Went from a blacksmith to being a heavy equipment mechanic.
We had the neighbor hood garage . they was always a truck or tractor or bulldozer in the the shop being welded on or rebuilt. His shop was an uninsulated drafty old shop that was moved the location after WW2 . Remember this was in the U.P. of Michigan with no insulation and a home made wood burner made from 2 55 gallon drums one on top of the other.
He was a very hard man. I remember one time a young Michigan state policeman came into the shop and noticed a shotgun leaned up against the wall. He asked if it was loaded and my dad said what good is it if it ain't loaded. The cop asked if my dad would shoot someone if they came into the shop and without hesitation my dad told that cop why don't you come around tonight and find out.
He got in his car and left and we never had another visit from the state police again.
Folks were different back then. They would help you with anything a handshake was a contract.

 

I live near Jackson TN, I wonder if you know where the shop was located. The town was not too large at that time. Most of the old buildings except for the downtown area are gone now. Interesting local photo.

 

Check out those thousand watt light bulbs......

 

Humm the inside of that shop looks very familiar Ive been to almost every shop in jackson at some point in time any idea what street its on

 

Don’t know the address. I remember as a kid riding with my uncle on E Chester St towards Mifflin. We had relatives in Beach Bluff.
I believe I remember an old store/shop on the left headed toward Beach Bluff and my uncle saying that’s where the shop was. It was close to an intersection with another road. I remember a big old 2 story house across from that intersection.
There should be a Dollar General and a large gas station there at that intersection now.
That’s going off memory.