From the 2004 book, Images of America—Preston, by Al Mathison

In around 1900 to 1914 the Preston Iron Works of the small city of Preston, MN, manufactured a pedestal jointer. They also manufactured the "Preston" gasoline engine. Information on this maker has proved to be very difficult to come by.

Information Sources

• We learned of this maker from an owwm.org forum post.
• 1912 book, History of Fillmore County, Minnesota.

  Preston is a busy village in the geographical center of the county... It has two banks, two weekly newspapers, two hotels, two theaters, a broom factory, a bottling plant, a lumber yard, a machine shop and gasoline engine factory, a brick yard...

• The 2004 book, Images of America—Preston, by Al Mathison, in a photo caption:

  During the early years of the 20th century, before the widespread use of acetylene welding (around 1913), there were five blacksmith shops in Preston, including Preston Iron Works, owned by H.S. Popple and E.H. Cummings. With their lathes, saws, drills, planers, and other devices, they did repair work on all sorts of farm machinery and industrial equipment. They were also the builders of the Preston Gasoline Engine, which was built entirely in their shop. The engine was guaranteed for two years.

• A patent search for patents related to Popple, Cummings, or the Preston Iron Works have failed to turn up anything. In addition, no patents were found granted to someone from Preston, Minn., that were related to woodworking machinery or gasoline engines.