Harden Museum in the Erie Canal Village
Today’s U.S. Route 20 in New York
When I wrote about the Erie Canal Village in Rome, NY, I left out any mention of the Harden Museum. For whatever reason this collection of carriages and some other horse-drawn vehicles really fascinated me, and I ended up taking a lot of photos while inside.
When the United States was a new nation, travelers by land used roads no better than those built by the Romans centuries before in order to connect and expand their empire. In 1811 an unpaved toll road was completed that followed a path through much of Central New York State. It was known as the known as the Cherry Valley Turnpike, and its path was similar to that of today’s U.S. Route 20. The road was used heavily by pioneers in covered wagons pouring in from New England to settle upstate New York, and was also used by farmers to ship produce in heavy freight wagons to eastern markets.
With the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 the heavy freight business left the wagons and took to the boats, and the canal also became the chief migration route to the frontier. By the early 1840s a network of railroads was completed across New York State, and the old toll road was gradually rendered obsolete. Despite the abandonment of the use of horse-drawn vehicles on main transportation routes, they remained the best means available to private travelers by land.
The exhibits at the Harden Museum contain a pretty interesting assortment of old horse drawn vehicles, taking you back for a moment to that simpler era. The exhibits range from family vehicles to farm wagons to sleds, many of them manufactured during the latter half of the 1800’s. Here’s a sample of what I discovered there.
You can find antique cast iron horse drawn wagons on my Vintage Toys website.
Very neat. I love the cutter. Somewhere years ago in Canada (before I took lots of photo’s), there was a museum that focused on cutters and it was facinating.
In our travels out west through the mountains I always think of those that came before us. The difficulty of travel is mind boggling. Walking, riding a horse, a covered wagon etc. over those trails in the mountains. They were made of sturdier stuff then we are today.
As always, enjoyable and educational post. Thanks for sharing.
Sandy
I find it very interesting that you mention Delaware, Ohio, because when I was writing this article I was considering mentioning the town of Cleveland, New York. I ended up omitting it in order not to get sidetracked.
What an interesting place! One of the recording studios I frequent was once a “Halfway House” for stage coaches and wagons traveling between Worthington and Delaware, Ohio. Walking onto the property always makes me consider the rigors of travel before cars and the like.
“So detailed, yet so frontier like” is an interesting way to describe it. When these carriages were made it really hadn’t been that long before that Western NY State was on the frontier!
Oh wow, these are fantastic. My entire life has been spent around horses, especially when my grandfather was alive. He used to take me to the races with him when I was very little. I also remember him taking me to a museum that had these old carriages.So detailed, yet so frontier like.
What’s truly incredible is the way that means of travel have changed in such a short time – after having remained static for centuries. Of course, the way that the experience of traveling itself has changed is also pretty amazing.
Like you, I’m fascinated by horse-drawn vehicles. I’m fascinated by the history of transportation in general. I think it’s incredible how people traveled before there were automobiles. Sounds like a great place to visit for people like me!