Most of us like old things, especially old cars, or why else would we be in an antique car club? Well, “old things” was the name of the game in Blountstown at the Pioneer Settlement.

It’s pretty unusual for our antique automobiles to be some of the newest hardware on the scene, but that was pretty much the case at the Settlement. Most of the fully-furnished homes on display there date back to the pre-Civil War days and instead of a automotive repair shop there was a fully operational black smith’s shop.

The closest thing to an antique car at the Settlement is the “locomotive style” steam engine, mounted on large steel wheels, that was originally used to run a rock crusher at a central Florida quarry. At a later point in time, it was relocated to Bainbridge where a fellow Tallahasseean saw it, bought it for $500 and donated it to the Settlement. This is the first time since 1884 that it’s been protected from the weather.

We had 14 cars from our club there and a few others showed up from surrounding communities. The food was excellent, the entertainment was outstanding, the fellowship was great and the weather was phenomenal. If you missed this one, you may want to make this trek to Blountstown again next time we’re invited; just the tour of the Pioneer Settlement makes it a worthwhile trip.

Ed Shuler