Home

History & Present Status of Club

Hill Country Antique Tractor & Engine Club Show

Membership Application/Renewal Form

Tractor Parade Rules

Exhibitor Rules

Tractor-Pull Rules & Requirements

Special Event Agreement

History of Antique Machinery

Links

 

History & Present Status

The Fredericksburg Antique Tractor & Engine Club was organized on March 18, 1986, by nine prospective members who met in the home of Daniel Boone Schneider. The first officers were Daniel Schneider, President, Harry Sidensticker, Vice President, and Wilbur Pressler, Secretary-Treasurer.

The purposes of the club were then, as now: (1) to foster the preservation and knowledge of historical agricultural machines and methods, (2) to provide a venue for members to share common interests and experiences, and (3) to conduct an annual show at which members share their knowledge and exhibit their antique tractors, engines, and other agricultural machines.

The first Antique Tractor and Machinery Show was held on June 28 and 29, 1986, at the Old Klaerners Park on Highway 290 west of Fredericksburg. Parking was limited at the Old Klaerners Park and the entrance was located on a curve where it was difficult to see oncoming traffic. Albert Meier offered to make space available at his ranch, two miles east of Stonewall, and this generous offer was accepted. The first show at the Meier Ranch was held in 1990.

The show continued at the Meier Ranch until limited parking and other considerations again dictated the need for a move to a different site. Several locations were considered until negotiations with the Gillespie County Fairgrounds Association were concluded successfully and the 2004 Antique Tractor & Machinery Show was scheduled for the Gillespie County Fairgrounds, two miles south of Fredericksburg.

Although the annual show has grown in size, the types of displays and demonstrations are basically the same now as those at the first show. Exhibits of antique tractors and engines, tractor parades, and demonstrations of agricultural machinery have been mainstays of all shows. Perhaps the most significant addition has been the tractor-pull, which was added after the move to the Meier Ranch and which has proven to be very popular.

About a dozen and a half tractors were exhibited at the first show in 1986; this increased to approximately four dozen when the show was moved to the Meier Ranch in 1990; 206 tractors were displayed at the 2004 show, along with 155 engines and 55 other machines.

The club has increased steadily in size from the original nine charter members in 1986 to its present membership of over 275. Although there are members from all parts of the state, most are located in the Hill Country; therefore, to better reflect the makeup of the club, in 2002 the name was changed from The Fredericksburg Antique Tractor & Engine Club to The Hill Country Antique Tractor & Engine Club.

The nature of the HCAT&EC membership has changed, also. During the early years of the club, every member was or had been a farmer or rancher and owned one or more antique tractors and/or engines to exhibit and demonstrate. Now, many of the members are interested and supportive, but they have never lived or worked on farms or ranches and they do not own antique tractors or engines.