Our “sister” organization, the Carriage Museum of America, is generally known as a (fantastic!) library & archives focusing on the history of horse-drawn transportation, carriage builders, and the like. But the CMA also has a collection of actual vehicles. The vehicles are in off-site storage, while the library and archives reside here in the CAA headquarters building.

Included in this year’s 40th Anniversary Carriage Auction, held by Martin Auctioneers in Lebanon, Penn., April 29-30, will be four vehicles that the CMA is deaccessioning from its Robert Fletcher collection. These four vehicles are a Brewster-made Skeleton Boot Victoria (c. 1890); a Brewster-made Bronson Wagon (1906); a Tandem Gig (c. 1895); and a Stanhope Gig (c. 1895).

The money raised from the sale of these four vehicles will go toward the conservation of a Chaise, built c. 1820.

This vehicle — one of the rare gems in the CMA’s permanent collection — was the two-wheeled version of a Booby Hut Sleigh. The body could be detached and used with the specially made sleigh cradle. Both pieces are currently being assessed by conservator Brian Howard.

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this Chaise was built c. 1820 and could be used as a wheeled vehicle ... (photo courtesy of the CMA)

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… or, set on this cradle, as a sleigh (photo courtesy of the CMA)
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... it's in the CMA's permanent collection (photo courtesy of the CMA)

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... and it's currently being assessed for conservation (photo courtesy of the CMA)

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... four vehicles will be sold at Martin's Auction (this month) to fund the vehicle-conservation effort (photo courtesy of the CMA)