By Nancy Brannon
Frank McDermott has done just about everything in the horse business. He’s been an auctioneer and appraiser since 1984, and used to operate his own auction company. For six years, he auctioned horses, in addition to antiques and general merchandise. In fact, he can still sing with ease the “Auctioneer Song,” made famous by Leroy Van Dyke.
You can often find him playing guitar, or one of his other instruments, on Friday nights on the Square in Collierville, TN. Did I mention that he buys and restores musical instruments?
He’s also a cook, known for his many varieties of baked bread. He grew up under the influence of his great-grandparents, who owned a restaurant called McDermott Café in Holly Springs, MS. They also leased the Illinois Central depot and hotel in Holly Springs, where they ran an elaborate dining room restaurant from 1892 to 1932. Here the famed “Casey Jones” would stop on his regular run to buy fried pies, which were made famous at the hotel restaurant. “My great Uncle Kiernan McDermott used to talk about running 10 or 12 fried pies at a time out to the train engine for Mr. Jones to carry home with him, because he [Mr. Jones] was always in a hurry,” Frank said. From such a heritage, Frank learned to bake all kinds of bread. He bakes country white, Amish white, hearthstone, fresh herb bread, cinnamon raisin bread, orange marmalade bread, and focaccia bread. One bread that he had to give up baking is called sweet butter bread, which is a bread with a topping, and has a whole pound of butter in it. It’s highly caloric, but sooo tasty.
Frank has fooled with horses all his life, and used to work for Clay Creek Farms starting cutting horse colts. He still has about ten milling around his yard and pasture on Cayce Road, and his daughter rides barrel racing horses.
As you drive down Cayce Road, you will see quite a bit of pipe fencing. Frank installed most of that by himself, with a little help from a small crew. But what draws most of his interest in creating furniture and art from horse shoes, re-bar, and other materials. He’s been making horse shoe furniture for about 19 years. “I’ve welded all my life,” he said. “I get ideas from photos, and then measure and build my own version. I don’t build anything exactly the same twice – each design is a little different. All my work is free hand. I custom build whatever my clients want.”
Frank builds benches, gates, lamps, tables, bookshelves, anything you can think of that a horse shoe might enhance. He used to build a lot of trunks, but hasn’t built as many since the economy “tanked.” He has seen items similar to what he builds priced in the thousands of dollars, “but I try to price my items so people can afford them.” Still, the price of materials keeps going up. “Horse shoes are now up to $2 for size 00. I used to buy them for 25 cents!” He also has to buy used ones from horse shoers, who used to give them away. “But I really like doing this,” and he’s usually looking for the next design.
Frank was in one of the last graduating classes from the famed Missouri Auction School, located in the famous Kansas City Stock Yards in Kansas City, Missouri, before it moved St. Joseph, Missouri. Founded in 1905, it’s nicknamed the “Harvard of Auctioneering.” It’s the oldest and largest auction school in the world, and has an international reputation for producing top auctioneers.
For information about custom-made horse shoe furniture, contact Frank at Heart M Creations, (901) 620-7946, or e-mail bidcallerone@aol.com.
Frank McDermott has done just about everything in the horse business. He’s been an auctioneer and appraiser since 1984, and used to operate his own auction company. For six years, he auctioned horses, in addition to antiques and general merchandise. In fact, he can still sing with ease the “Auctioneer Song,” made famous by Leroy Van Dyke.
You can often find him playing guitar, or one of his other instruments, on Friday nights on the Square in Collierville, TN. Did I mention that he buys and restores musical instruments?
He’s also a cook, known for his many varieties of baked bread. He grew up under the influence of his great-grandparents, who owned a restaurant called McDermott Café in Holly Springs, MS. They also leased the Illinois Central depot and hotel in Holly Springs, where they ran an elaborate dining room restaurant from 1892 to 1932. Here the famed “Casey Jones” would stop on his regular run to buy fried pies, which were made famous at the hotel restaurant. “My great Uncle Kiernan McDermott used to talk about running 10 or 12 fried pies at a time out to the train engine for Mr. Jones to carry home with him, because he [Mr. Jones] was always in a hurry,” Frank said. From such a heritage, Frank learned to bake all kinds of bread. He bakes country white, Amish white, hearthstone, fresh herb bread, cinnamon raisin bread, orange marmalade bread, and focaccia bread. One bread that he had to give up baking is called sweet butter bread, which is a bread with a topping, and has a whole pound of butter in it. It’s highly caloric, but sooo tasty.
Frank has fooled with horses all his life, and used to work for Clay Creek Farms starting cutting horse colts. He still has about ten milling around his yard and pasture on Cayce Road, and his daughter rides barrel racing horses.
As you drive down Cayce Road, you will see quite a bit of pipe fencing. Frank installed most of that by himself, with a little help from a small crew. But what draws most of his interest in creating furniture and art from horse shoes, re-bar, and other materials. He’s been making horse shoe furniture for about 19 years. “I’ve welded all my life,” he said. “I get ideas from photos, and then measure and build my own version. I don’t build anything exactly the same twice – each design is a little different. All my work is free hand. I custom build whatever my clients want.”
Frank builds benches, gates, lamps, tables, bookshelves, anything you can think of that a horse shoe might enhance. He used to build a lot of trunks, but hasn’t built as many since the economy “tanked.” He has seen items similar to what he builds priced in the thousands of dollars, “but I try to price my items so people can afford them.” Still, the price of materials keeps going up. “Horse shoes are now up to $2 for size 00. I used to buy them for 25 cents!” He also has to buy used ones from horse shoers, who used to give them away. “But I really like doing this,” and he’s usually looking for the next design.
Frank was in one of the last graduating classes from the famed Missouri Auction School, located in the famous Kansas City Stock Yards in Kansas City, Missouri, before it moved St. Joseph, Missouri. Founded in 1905, it’s nicknamed the “Harvard of Auctioneering.” It’s the oldest and largest auction school in the world, and has an international reputation for producing top auctioneers.
For information about custom-made horse shoe furniture, contact Frank at Heart M Creations, (901) 620-7946, or e-mail bidcallerone@aol.com.
