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Tucked-away treasures
James and Jean Killian’s eclectic collection is worthy of a museum
| Story and photos by Allison Morgan |
8/1/2012 |
James Killian weaves in and around aisles and piles of vintage machinery, tools, automobiles, and artifacts tucked away in a barn on his Dickson County farm. The spry 85-year-old gleefully points out a favorite piece here and there, rattling off its history and purpose at rapid-fire pace.
“That’s an old foot pump to go in a dentist’s office. Here’s an old lawnmower. These iron cannonballs were made right up the road at Cumberland Furnace. These big wheels — they’re off a stagecoach that came out before the Civil War. That’s an old chicken coop, and this here is a broom-making machine. See those bicycles? They’re so old they have wooden wheels. And over there’s a corn sheller and a cider mill …”
This hodge-podge list of items represents only a fraction of the eclectic collection that James has spent nearly a lifetime accumulating. He doesn’t officially give tours to the public, but the energetic octogenarian is always happy to share his priceless treasures with friends, neighbors, local church and civic groups, and even the occasional “tourist” who hears about them through word-of-mouth. He even keeps a guest book to record the names of all his visitors.
“We have been to Mr. Killian’s place twice on the [Dickson County] Farm Tour, and it is truly amazing,” says Bird Armstrong, a friend and fellow Dickson Farmers Cooperative member. “He has the most impressive collection of antique cars and tools I have ever seen. It’s a true museum.”
As James flits from object to object, his wife of 63 years, Jean, sits quietly on the seat of a vintage Vespa scooter, watching with mild amusement. She’s witnessed this scene hundreds of times and is content to play her part as the supportive spouse.
“He loves to have an excuse to show off his collection,” says Jean. “I’ve learned to just stay out of the way.”
Indirectly, James says, his wife is actually responsible for inspiring his collecting obsession. One of his prized possessions is the late 1940s-era “Whizzer” motorbike that he bought new and regularly rode while “courting” Jean, who lived 12 miles away from his home near Charlotte. Then there’s the 1923 Model T Ford once owned by Jean’s grandfather, Wayne Duke. The Killians inherited it about 50 years ago, and James says it’s what truly sparked his interest in antique autos.
“Her granddaddy bought it brand-new and carried eggs to Dickson to sell,” says James. “Not long after he bought it, he ran off the side of the road and broke all his eggs. He brought that Model T back home, put it in the barn, and never did drive it again. It still has the ’23 license tags on it. We drive it around in the yard sometimes, and we’ve had it in the Old Timer’s Day parade in Dickson. I guess we’ve put more miles on it than he ever did.”
While there’s really neither rhyme nor reason to the odd assortment that James has assembled — tools and tractors, bikes and buggies, implements and engines, and just about everything in between — he seems to favor early American automobiles ranging from the late 1800s to 1930s. Along with that first Model T, he has acquired more than a dozen other such cars, including several made by obscure, long-defunct companies such as Marmon, Duryea, and Locomobile. Some are ready to run; others are in various stages of disassembly and restoration.
The crown jewel of his collection is a one-of-a-kind 1887 Baker & Elberg electric car, which sold in 1895 — along with its patents — for $50,000 to a wealthy Texas banker, Heber Stone. The Stone family kept the horseless carriage-style car until 1960, when it was sold and put in storage until the Killians’ son, Mike, saw it advertised for sale in a magazine and purchased it in 1992.
“All this talk about coming out with electric cars, and here’s one that’s over 100 years old!” says James. “It’s got one big battery to run it. You won’t find another one like it.”
The Baker & Elberg car and half a dozen other valuable, vintage vehicles are protectively displayed in the large, attractive red barn James built in 1987 for his growing collection. Nearly every inch of space is now filled with relics except for some narrow walkways, but this building is only the beginning, James points out as he heads toward another, more rustic barn.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet!” he grins. “All of these buildings around here are full.”
He’s not exaggerating. The next two barns house a mish-mash of antique tractors, trucks, cars, motors, and parts while an adjacent “blacksmith shop” contains a variety of vintage tools and machines. Scattered about is more machinery along with an array of iron wheels and horse-drawn farm implements.
A nearby shed shelters the sawmill James used to cut the lumber for most of the farm’s structures, which he built after he and Jean moved to the 300-acre property in the mid-1980s following his retirement as captain of the Old Hickory Fire Department. That was his second career, following more than 20 years at DuPont’s cellophane factory in Old Hickory until it closed in 1964.
Though he already had the collecting “bug,” retirement gave James more time to travel to flea markets, auctions, and shows to seek out items of interest. Until recently, he and Jean were also known for displaying and demonstrating some of their antique engines and equipment at local festivals.
“We used to go somewhere every weekend,” says James. “We don’t do that any more. We got too old!”
As far as collecting goes, however, James appears to have no intentions of slowing down anytime soon and has plenty of restoration projects. And though his farm would be a dream stop for The History Channel’s popular “American Pickers” show, which follows two treasure-hunters as they travel across the country looking for interesting and valuable antiques to resell, James would likely squelch that idea in a hurry.
“I never sell anything!” he says emphatically. “I’m afraid if I start selling I’d just get rid of it all, and I don’t want to do that. It’s too much fun to come out here and play.”
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