bartelmay equipment

Morton, Illinois
Years of Operation:
1918 - 1961 Arch Bartelmay & Sons Equipment
1961 - 1987 Bill Bartelmay Equipment

Bill Bartelmay's final location on Route 98 in Morton in the mid 1970's

Arch Bartelmay entered the implement business around 1918. The original location was at the corner of First and Washington in Morton. Arch had been in the threshing business since 1904 and continued operating a threshing rig and corn sheller in the 1940's. In 1921, he became a dealer for Case tractors and then later added the Oliver Farm Equipment line. The business moved to South Main Street in 1930. While at the new location, Bartelmay added Pontiac automobiles to the dealership. In 1961, Arch's son Bill purchased the farm equipment business while Arch continued the Pontiac dealership.  Bill moved to a new location in Groveland and changed the name to Bill Bartelmay Equipment.  By 1967, Bill needed more space and built a new dealership building on the west edge of Morton along Route 98. The new building was a 60' x 120' Butler steel building set on 4.5 acres. At this time, Bill employed 10 people at the dealership and maintained $500,000 of inventory.  In November 1972, Bartelmay added the White Construction Equipment line to his dealership's equipment offerings which included Oliver, Minneapolis-Moline, Krause, and Gehl.   According to records from the Oliver plant in Charles City, Iowa, Bartelmay Equipment was shipped the very last Oliver tractor that was produced. The tractor, an Oliver 2255, was shipped to Morton on February 27, 1976 and presumably sold at the dealership. The business continued with the White Farm Equipment line after Oliver was phased out. Bill retired from the farm equipment business in 1987 and later passed away in 1998. In the 1990's, Bartelmay Equipment was advertising Agco Allis Outdoor Power Equipment.

Arch Bartelmay & Sons Equipment featured Oliver and New Idea equipment along with Pontiac cars in the 1930's.

A look inside the dealership's showroom with Arch posing next to an Oliver tractor.

Both Pontiac and Oliver signage on the front of Arch Bartelmay & Sons. Note the yellow Oliver Sales - Service lighted sign hanging on the pole circa 1950's

Bill Bartelmay Equipment location from 1961 to 1967.

Another view of the dealership in the mid 1960's.

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DEALERSHIP ADS

Newspaper ad from 1980 featuring White Farm Equipment.

former dealership

The former Bill Bartelmay Equipment building on Route 98 as it stands in 2023.