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McCormick's Reaper Showcases Virginia Agriculture

In 1831, Cyrus McCormick of Steeles Tavern, Virginia, dramatically changed farming with his invention of a reaper for harvesting grain. The McCormick reaper inspired further mechanization of agricultural tasks since it could cut as much grain in one day as five experienced men could cut by hand.

In 1931, International Harvester Company, (the company that grew out of mergers between McCormick’s original company and others) built a number of full-size replica reapers to celebrate the invention’s 100th anniversary. One of those replicas ended up with Harold Sohner of Fredericksburg, Texas, whose father was employed by International Harvester in the 1930s. Sohner restored the replica reaper in 2004.

Sohner donated the reaper to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for use at the 2007 Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition in Moultrie, Georgia, as part of a display entitled, “Virginia Agriculture: Proud History, Prosperous Future.” The photo at right shows the reaper on display for the more than 10,000 people who visited the Expo.

After the Expo, the reaper was donated to the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia in Staunton, where it will become part of a display of American farming techniques. Another replica reaper is on public display at the college’s Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center, part of a five-acre National Historic Landmark that pays tribute to the McCormick family.