TWO HORSE POWER HAY BALER.
What we are looking at is a hay bale pressing machine set up with two horses... a TWO HORSE POWER HAY BALER.
The photo was taken by a traveling photographer who did photos for hire with wealthy land owners and business men who wanted a photo of their "pride and joy" here it is his crew of hay balers with the capital investment of the machinery and horses that was his trade in the community. My sister is doing a wonderful job of picking up where our father Dr. V.M. Holland left off with puzzling out our family history. Lots of work remains with this image... love to have any comments about the others in the photo or about the process of baling hay with that press.
"Found this photo with negatives that Dad had stored. Original was a postcard (bad condition) with marking on the back “Mordie and Will”, not Dad’s handwriting. Mordie is young boy, wearing a hat in center of photo. Will is in front of the lead horse/ mule. One of the men is probably their father, Andrew Jackson. Not sure if it is the one beside Mordie or the one turning his head, standing in front to the far right. Date: very early 1900’s, is a guess; Location: Tennessee"
"Andrew Jackson Holland was born in 1860, David Mordie Holland was born in 1895. Dr. V.M. was born in 1918. If Mordie was 15 in the photo, the year would have been 1910. They are baling hay. I did some checking on the internet and the harness on the horse is low and the rod looks like what was used with a hay press"