| No. 4 | February 2008 |
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On March 30, 1860, William MacKenzie, a farmer and blacksmith who lived in
the community of Mount Herbert was granted a patent for a beater potato
digger. It is believed this may have been the first patent in North
America for such a machine. And while other inventors, including some
here in PEI, soon followed with models of their own, MacKenzie can be
credited with being the first to bring to market a machine whose basic
design would be widely used on farms well into the middle decades of the
twentieth century.
The original site of the forge operated by Willam MacKenzie was in Mount Herbert, near the intersection of what is now the Bethel Road and the Pippy Road. In the late 1800's he moved to a site that became known as MacKenzie.s Corner, at the present intersection of the Mount Herbert Road and the Trans Canada Highway. After William MacKenzie.s death in 1911, the business was carried on first by his son Henry, and then in turn by Henry.s grandson Lorne Jenkins. Mr. Jenkins was a blacksmith who continued the tradition of building potato diggers as first patented by his great-grandfather. Harley Ings of Charlottetown, who grew up in Mount Herbert, remembers the forge operated by Lorne Jenkins as a busy spot that provided a vital service to farmers in the area. Recognizing that the story of the invention and manufacture of the MacKenzie Potato Digger was an important part of the history of farming and agricultural businesses in PEI, Mr.Ings has compiled information about William MacKenzie, the business he created, and how he and his descendants carried it on for over a century. I want to thank Harley for his generosity in providing information and pictures used in this article. |
Top, middle - two views of the Mackenzie Digger; Bottom - Harley Ings with restored digger The Agricultural Heritage Newsletter is an informal newsletter published electrically with the assistance of The Community Foundation of Prince Edward Island and edited by Charley Coles, Don Glendenning, and Tom Hall. Feel free to forward it to a friend. To be added to or removed from the mailing list, or to suggest ideas for future newsletters, please contact charlescoles@eastlink.ca |