The drooping branches swing low and low on the roof of Tison Tool Barn. The pine beams and logs used to make the structure have been soiled by the years. However, the barn contains a series of accurately polished old woodworking tools.

Various saws, hammers, wrenches and axes adorn the walls. The planer, auger, screwdriver and wooden spirit level are placed on the shelf. The rare goose-wing German axe and the huge 6-foot-long single saw are eye-catching to say the least.

John Mason Tison (John Mason Tison), also known as Junior by friends, is an electrician and an avid collector of old tools. Thyssen has run a successful electrician shop in northwest Gainesville for many years and is said to be a gourmet chef. But he is better known for his tool collection. He has developed a variety of woodworking wonders from more than 40 years of collection. The burden became so great that his home could no longer accommodate it.

“Mr. Tison originally built a barn on his property to store his tool collection,” said Kaitlyn Hof-Mahoney, executive director of the Matheson Museum. "He gave the barn and the entire tool collection to the museum."

There are currently about 1,500 items in the barn collection. After Thyssen's death in 1995, the first 500 tools and the barn itself were donated to the Matheson Museum. Although some tools have not been fully verified, many of them have been used in the early construction of Alachua County.

The barn is built with wooden planks and nail structures. Tison specially ordered all the parts from North Carolina, and mainly assembled the barn himself. When he died, the barn had to be moved to the property of the Matheson Museum. Several volunteers worked hard to dismantle the barn piece by piece, and then reassemble it at its current location at No. 513 Dongda University Avenue.

All of Mr. T's original tool collection, most of which were from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, are fully displayed in the barn. But many new items, not just tools, have been added to the component. Antique milk cans from a local dairy factory are displayed on the shelves. In the corner is the wooden manhole cover in Gainesville, the old Alachua County license plate is hung above the stairs, and even the front of the 1915 US Post Office is displayed in the barn.

Tison also has a unique passion for making children laugh. He spent some free time with the Gainesville Sunshine Clowns. His character Dilly-Dally wears a top hat, loose red striped pants and an oversized black jacket. As we all know, clowns often visit local hospitals and treat children with stupid entertainment. Dilly-Dally will also perform his tramp at parties and events. Thyssen is also a devout member of his church.

"He is really a very popular figure in town," Hoff Mahoney said.

There is a showcase at the back of the barn, highlighting some Tison cherished antique appliances. The exhibition also displays a pair of photos of Tison, one of which is his church costume and the other is Dilly-Dally.

Hof-Maoni said that the museum does not currently accept any new collection tools, but will consider any unique items related to Alachua County.

Tison Tool Barn is open, please contact Matheson Museum.