The Hart-Parr company was formed in 1897 at Madison, Wisconsin by Charles Hart and Charles Parr. They had met while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison and had built three working internal combustion engines while still in university. After University they scraped together $3,000 and formed Hart-Parr. One of their first products was an inverted, vertical stationary engine using oil as a coolant. Oil had two advantages, it did not freeze, an important consideration in the Northern US and in Canada plus oil cooling resulted in an increased cylinder temperature, an important consideration in burning low grade fuels such as kerosene.

The Hart-Parr inverted stationary in the MAM collection was donated by A.G. Sissons of Portage La Prairie. It is mounted on a four wheel truck which was a common practice for stationary engines as it allowed for the engine to be easily moved around the farm from job to job.