Museum of Eastern Shore Life

Peerless Restoration

The Museum owns a 1913 Peerless Steam Tractor Engine - the last Steam Tractor Engine housed in Queen Anne's County. Age and hard work have taken a toll. It needs physical restoration, and to ever be fired up again, it must have a new boiler. A group of volunteers approached the Directors of the Museum about restoring the Peerless. Even with volunteer help, the cost of restoration will be in excess of $60,000, which is significantly less than its estimated restored value.

While the new boiler is being built in Pennsylvania, the local volunteers would disassemble the steam tractor itself and clean and paint it. The cost: $5,000 for paint and $10,000 for additional parts and labor that requires hiring professional contractors. All work would be done under the supervision of a machinist and boilermaker. Each of the volunteers working on the Peerless will attend a steam school to assure they have the expertise to provide the proper care and maintenance required of a steam engine. We estimate that the total restoration will take approximately three years.

To make a donation to help restore this antique Steam Traction Engine, please send your check, payable to the Museum of Eastern Shore Life and marked "for Steam Tractor", to: