Tuckahoe Steam & Gas Associate Inc

We are an all-volunteer organization founded in 1973, located on Marylands Eastern Shore. Our mission is to help preserve the historic Eastern Shore rural heritage.  In support of our mission, we maintain a 70-acre facility five miles north of Easton Md. on which we collect, restore, display, and operate a wide variety of vintage industrial machinery and agricultural equipment.  We welcome the public to our annual show held on the grounds during the weekend after the Fourth of July. We also sponsor many other open-to-the-public events and share our facility with various community groups. We are always actively seeking new members who share our interests and goals.

In 1973, a group of enthusiastic people with various occupations and backgrounds united to preserve the rural heritage of the local region. They were led by their interest in collecting and restoring antique agricultural equipment. This group would be known as the Tuckahoe Steam and Gas Association. There were 79 charter members, eight of them youth members. There are now more than 250 active members and 400 associate members.  The Association started with a small piece of ground on Route 50 north of Easton. Over the years, parcels have been added until now the grounds cover almost 60 acres, occupied by a dozen buildings. Many of the buildings house machinery and equipment restored to museum condition.  Tuckahoe is a 501(c)(3) non-profit all volunteer organization with thousands of hours of labor donated each year in the administration of the Association and maintaining the grounds and the buildings. Many of these hours are also spent collecting and restoring the old equipment and displaying it so that future generations will be able to learn about their proud heritage.    The Associations goal is to not only to display the equipment, but to operate it during shows and events. This keeps the equipment from getting lost to history, and motivates the younger generations to participate, allowing them to learn the skills and crafts of their ancestors. Farming techniques and skills that previously supported the rural communities are handed down to future generations.  Collecting, restoring, displaying, and operating this equipment pays tribute to our ancestors. Through their ingenuity, they developed the machinery that made the American farmer and industry more productive and safer. Thus reducing the amount of hard labor required to produce the food and goods needed by the growing population.  Over the years, the Association has sponsored many family-oriented events at the show grounds to finance the needs of the growing organization. Community support of events including the annual show, tractor pulls, rodeos and music shows have allowed us to further our goal of preserving rural heritage.  Over forty years of friendships, hard work, and community support are clearly in evidence in this unique place called Tuckahoe Steam and Gas Association. All of those involved, from the founders to the present members, are proud of their contribution to the Eastern Shore community and the community of similar organizations dedicated to the preservation of our agricultural legacy.  In 2011 the Tuckahoe Steam and Gas Association was honored to receive the Talbot County Historical Societys prestigious 'Heritage Award'.  

Directions 

Tuckahoe Steam & Gas Association is located on Marylands Eastern Shore, approximately 5 miles north of Easton, MD on US Route 50 between mileposts 58 and 59. We are approximately 23 miles from the Bay Bridge. Our street address is 11472 Ocean Gateway, Easton, MD.

Our Collections

The Association collects and restores a variety of historic engines, machinery and tools all of which are returned to their original condition by our volunteers. Collecting, restoring, displaying, and operating this equipment pays a special tribute to our ancestors, and helps keep alive the memory of our rural heritage.

Gas And Oil Engines 

Our collection includes a number of gas and oil engines, housed in a dedicated building, and dating from 1900 to the early 1940s. They are representatives of noted manufacturers such as Atlas, Otto, Fairbanks-Morse, De Laverne, Clark, Ohio, Geiser, Reid and others. There are about fifteen of these engines on display, most in running condition.  

Steam Engine Collection

Steam engines played a huge role in the development of both industry and agriculture. Prior to the development of large internal-combustion engines and steam turbines, reciprocating steam engines powered electrical generators, cable car systems, line shafts to run factories, ships, and just about everything else. Traction engines replaced horses as the power source for much of the labor required for farming.

Horse-Drawn and Antique Farm Machinery

We have a large variety of antique farm machinery and horse-drawn equipment all fully restored and in working condition.

Tuckahoe Steam & Gas is an all-volunteer organization. 

We have a general membership meeting once per month, and work-days prior to major events. The various special interest groups gather on an impromptu basis whenever theres a quorum.  We have two classes of membership: full, and associate. Full members must be sponsored by two existing members, must be approved at a general membership meeting, and pay a $20 initiation fee. Annual dues are $10. Full members receive the newsletter, admission to the annual show, and may vote and hold office.