The volunteer staff at the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum Complex are very excited about the newest addition to their collection of antique farm machinery. A “Farmers Cement Tile Machine”, also known as “the Ideal Cement Tile Machine” was recently donated by Mr. and Mrs. Ron Hoffman of Zeeland Michigan.
Manufactured in St. Johns by Richmond & Holmes, the Ideal Cement Tile Machine made its debut in the farming community in 1909. L.R. Peck of St. Johns invented the machine, with the assistance of Richmond & Holmes, and applied for a patent in 1906.
The machine produced cement tiles in four sizes: three, four, six, and eight inches. These tiles assisted in the drainage of water on farmland. Richmond & Holmes boasted, it “makes a better and more perfect tile than the ordinary clay tile, and at less than half the cost”.
The Ideal Cement Tile Machine was quite popular and was marketed nationwide. In 1910, it began being manufactured in Canada.
This piece of St. Johns history may be viewed at the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum Complex, located at 106 Maple Street in St. Johns Michigan. The Museum is open on Wednesdays from 2-7 and on Sundays from 1-4. The suggested donations are two dollars for adults, one dollar for children, and five dollars for families. http://www.pgsmuseum.com
The information in this article and more may be found in The Old Machine Shop and the Ashery that Preceded It, by Ron Matson.