Published: June 10, 2009 11:09 am      

19th century tool museum to open west of Ada

Ada — Fourteen miles west of Ada on Highway 3W, William West is building a museum. The museum—Grampa’s Tool Shed—will feature tools from 1800 to 1950.

“The theme is ‘Tools that built America,’” West said. “Most of these tools are going to be post-Civil War but I’ve got tools that date back in the 1830s all the way to the 1950s.”

West is determined to show the public what kind of hard work and determination built the United States of America during its formative years, he said.

“Aside from covered wagons, Indians and the Civil War there was a push of migration of the citizens from the East to populate the West, as everybody knows. What they don’t know is that, all the while, these pioneers were building a nation second to none. They did it all without the benefit of electricity,” West said.

The infrastructure of this nation was initially built without modern convenience, West said.

“They used man-powered tools. That’s what brought us to the Space Age,” West said.

With boxes of unpacked tools stacked nearly from wall to wall and almost to the ceiling, West isn’t even sure how many he has in stock.

“These are tools that I’ve purchased from nearly every state in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia,” West said. “Their tools were actually tools that were prevalent in the world in that time, so they were reflected in the tool set the pioneers used.” West has also obtained a Dutch saw that is more than 300 years old.

“This saw was probably made between 1695 to 1699,” West said.

West has gathered tools from most major tool makers during that period.

“Some people would be amazed how far back Stanley goes, for example,” West said. “I have purchased for the museum one of the first saws that Henry Disston ever made. It’s a remarkable find.”

West expects the museum to open around Oct 1. Grampa’s Tool Shed will be 1,800 square feet and will have authentic water pumps and telephones from the formative era of the United States. It will be free to the public. West will also be selling some more affordable tools from that time period in a shop behind the museum. He hopes to be able to pay for upkeep and maintenance of the museum with the tool sales.

“I want people to see these tools and know about the 19th century—what really happened,” West said. “I hope people walk away and have a new appreciation for that heirloom they have at home instead of trying to put it in some yard sale.”