Historical Construction Equipment Association Opens New Museum

HCEA has plans for improvements to the building to include office and archive space and an education center, all of which will also be funded in advance of construction. The older building will continue to provide storage and shop space.

The museum is located on the HCEA campus at 16623 Liberty Hi Road in Bowling Green, Ohio.

HCEA convention and expo

The Historical Construction Equipment Association’s Convention and Old Equipment Exposition was first held in 1985 in Richmond, Indiana. The next show was in 1993 in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, and there has been one every year since except for 2020, when it was postponed due to the pandemic. Ten of the 31 events have been on the HCEA campus in Bowling Green; the rest have been held in areas that support HCEA chapters, partner with like-minded historical entities, and coincide with relevant shows.

Tom Berry, HCEA archivist and Construction Equipment contributing editor, says HCEA has around 220 pieces of equipment in inventory; another 120 or so pieces were brought in by members to display at the 2025 event. He said the numbers of visiting exhibitors’ pieces remain fairly steady, “although in times of high diesel prices that may dip.” Some decline is possible as long-time members age out of the market, but enthusiasm of following generations may well sustain the show, the HCEA, and its mission of preservation and education.

Although HCEA machines exist on a continuum of restoration, machines brought in by outside exhibitors were mostly in running order. Not only do they run, but they run well. If a newcomer to historical equipment envisions fields full of clattering, wheezing machines spewing clouds of black diesel smoke into the air, that vision is quickly quashed. This equipment is relatively quiet and clean (although some fluids make it past old gaskets and seals). It starts easily and runs reliably. The power density (power output per unit of displacement) is abysmal by today’s standards but was a giant leap forward from the mule and horse power and manual labor it replaced.

Owners of these historical machines are not content to merely display them; they work on them to keep them operable to ensure full appreciation of the state of technology these machines represented for their time.

A recent addition to the HCEA inventory is a Terex 33-15 haul truck, which HCEA says is “the last one known to exist of the Terex GM 33-15 Family.” That truck was on view right next to the new museum. HCEA has launched a fundraiser seeking $40,000 for preservation of this truck, of which nearly $30,000 had been raised as of the 2025 show. HCEA has a webpage dedicated to the history of how the Terex line emerged as the result of a 1968 antitrust lawsuit filed against General Motors by the U.S. Government.

HCEA as a resource

That research into the birth of Terex typifies HCEA, which works hard to be the single best source of information and communication for fans of old equipment. They provide searchable archives but because their archives are so vast and only a portion have been digitized, they encourage interested persons to start with the archives and then engage the help of Tom Berry in further research. Members receive the quarterly Equipment Echoes magazine and access to the digital archives of that periodical.

Aside from scale models, HCEA itself does not buy or sell anything. They do provide a platform for those who do. The Buy/Sell/Trade is one of four forums HCEA offers. The others are General Discussion, Information Wanted and Shows and Events. The Photo Galleries section is divided into five sections, including one for past Conventions and Expositions and one Equipment Identifier. Note, however, that the HCEA website is a work in progress that may return 404 errors: Page Not Found.