Stanley G. Short has indefinitely loaned his 1940 John Deere model B Tractor to the Johnny Nelson Katy Heritage Museum on Thursday, Aug. 26.
“The donation today is outstanding,” Katy …
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Stanley G. Short indefinitely loaned his 1940 John Deere model B Tractor to the Johnny Nelson Katy Heritage Museum on Thursday, Aug. 26.
“The donation today is outstanding,” Katy Mayor Bill Hastings said. “Mr. Short is a great example of the many, many people who have donated to this museum to keep Katy’s heritage alive.”
The original Short farm, on which the tractor was used, was located between Katy and Brookshire on the south side of Highway 90 along what is now Igloo Road, according to city officials. Stanley’s grandfather, A.L. Short had started the farm in 1912 after moving to the area from Northern Oklahoma. Water for the farm came from the Willow Fork Branch of the Buffalo Bayou and helped the family raise corn, peanuts, hay and cotton. The farm was dissolved in 1973 and the equipment, buildings and other assets that could be moved were taken elsewhere. Short found the tractor in 2010 in a field on a private farm near Katy where it had sat abandoned for about 25 years. He spent the next six years restoring it.
Short said he was grateful to be able to preserve his family’s and the city’s heritage and that he was unsure how many hours he spent working on the project to bring the tractor back to life. However, he said it was a project he enjoyed working on most Sundays during the course of the project.
“I found a part during the week and somebody sent it to me and I’d run over and put it on right quick,” Short said.
Short will be able to visit the tractor and use it for parades and other events as needed.
Hastings said Short’s restoration work was some of the best he’d ever seen and expressed appreciation for Short loaning the tractor to the city’s museum.
“It’s people like him who support this museum and give to it that keeps Katy’s Heritage alive,” Hastings said.