A Carriage House Comes to Union
The Monroe County Historical Society has begun the construction of a home in Union for their carriage collection. Inspired by the Greenbrier Historical Society’s Wagon House in Lewisburg, the 1000 square feet Gothic Revival style building will be large enough to accommodate five horse drawn vehicles. The ground has been leveled, the concrete floor has been poured, and a timber-frame structure was fabricated by Chip Sills and a crew of volunteers at Earthwind Construction in Greenville. Located behind The Monroe County Historical Society, the Carriage House will be completed in the spring of 2014. The photo below shows the carriage house in progress.
An 1880’s Omnibus, the flagship exhibit was originally used to bring visitors from the Alleghany Station, near White Sulphur Springs, to the resort spas of Sweet Chalybeate in Alleghany county VA and Sweet Spring in Monroe County WV. The Omnibus is in original condition, decorated with hand painted scrolls, pin striping and country scenes. An omnibus like the one pictured below will soon come to Union.
Two surrey-type carriages, a Mountain Wagon (Photo #1) and a Summer Rockaway (Photos #2) will join the Omnibus.
The exhibit will also include a Doctor’s Buggy, which was possibly the most commonly seen vehicle traveling along 19th Century roads and a sleigh donated by the late Nancy M. White of the Walnut Grove Estate just outside Union.
Through bequests, fundraisers and donations $72,000 dollars has already been raised towards the project, but more is needed to cover carriage restoration and building costs and maintenance. Donors who give $100 or more will be awarded an individually engraved tile which will be displayed on the portico of the Carriage House. Each tile accommodates three lines of text with thirteen characters, and can feature the name of the donor or a loved one. To support this unique addition to the town of Union, send a check to the Monroe County Historical Society PO Box 465, Union, WV 24983.
***Information in the article is based on information from an article in the Monroe County Watchman.***
Category: History, Lewisburg to Rich Creek, Roads & Rails
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