In 1912, M. Rumely Co. bought the Falk Co., adding it to their line of products. Late in 1915, Rumely went into receivership. Advance-Rumely was formed, and soon after the Falk engine line was phased out.

Falk Engine E433

Let’s jump ahead to the mid-1960s when a young David Johnson saved a 5 HP engine (plus a 10 HP that went to his friend Harold Jarvis). David removed the engine from a farm near Marshalltown, Iowa, where it had worked elevating corn into a barn and other duties. It was taken off broken trucks and brought inside to get running. In the late-‘60s, David showed this engine at the Old Thresher’s Reunion in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Then time stood still for the Falk as David finished school, went to work,got married, started a family and moved a few times.

In the mid-1970s, David’s father brought the Falk to him from Iowa to southeastern Illinois. The flywheels were removed to help with handling the weight and the engine was stored away in a barn.

The wheels of time move slowly – to around the year 2000. On a rainy day at work I took a ride in the country looking for deer, turkey and engines (what a way to spend a rainy day). I looked along fence rows and by old barns as I drove along. To my surprise, I almost ran an engine over with my truck! I saw a mailbox that had an 8 HP Bessemer holding it up. I stopped at the farm house and asked about