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For single mom, wagon and buggy restoration is a rewarding hobby
by Annette Van Buren

A fifth generation Nebraskan, I grew up around horses in rural Holt County, Nebraska and have always been intrigued with the cowboy lifestyle and the folklore of the wild West. When I was 12 my dad gave me my first horse taught me how to ride. He also taught me how to run power tools, do mechanic work, paint and take care of livestock.

Even after moving to Dakota County for a job opportunity, I have kept strong ties with my friends and family back in rural Holt County. Single motherhood, working as an office administrative assistant for the federal government, and teaching part time for Northeast Community College doesn’t keep me busy enough, so I wanted a hobby that my friends and family could enjoy, and one that might spark my daughter Brittany’s interest.

During a trip to Kansas in 2003 I had seen the most beautiful wooden sleigh in an antique store. Bringing it home was impossible because it wouldn’t fit in my car, but as time went on I never forgot about that sleigh. Then, in the spring of 2006, I saw an ad for a horse drawn estate auction in a local newspaper — and it featured a picture of a sleigh similar to the one I’d see in Kansas. I attended the auction and brought home both the sleigh and a Springboard Wagon.

My first restoration

The 1895 Springboard Wagon was the first piece that I restored. These types of freight wagons were mostly found in rural areas and used to haul goods to and from town. There are very few of them left, and this one was almost gone, too, in very rough condition with dry, rotted wheels.

A very good friend of mine made the comment, "I fail to see the beauty in this wagon," and I thought I would very much like to prove her wrong. So I started the challenge of bringing the wagon back to life, and it was the start of a wonderful hobby.

With the success of the Springboard restoration behind me, the next piece I tackled was a 1905 Henney Buggy, manufactured at the Henney Buggy Factory in Freeport, Illinois. I acquired the Henney at an annual antique auction over at the Cedar County Fairgrounds in 2007. It appeared to have been stored in a barn and had not been driven since the early 1900's. The paint was a disaster and the seat was rotted out, but with my recent experience with the Springboard, this project would be much easier — or so I thought! It took almost a whole year to revive this lost treasure.

A full plate of projects

I currently have six more pieces waiting to be restored:

• 2 late 1800s Russian cutter sleighs.
• An early 1900s Sears & Roebuck doctor’s buggy.
• An early 1900s Sylvan doctor’s buggy.
• A late 1800s single seat buggy that was made in Canada
• A late 1800s two-seat surrey manufactured by the John Deere Plow Co. in Omaha.

After acquiring the wagon and buggies, I decided that we needed either a team or single driving horse. I bought a driving horse and colt from an Amish family and learned to drive from some of the old timers in our rural area.

I do all of the restoration work and sometimes Brittany helps with the paint removal, but for the most part, she takes care of the horses. Currently we just use the buggies for pleasure driving and for show at local museum events, but future plans include acquiring more horses to be able to give carriage rides.

Annette Van Buren restores horse-drawn buggies and wagons from her home near Jackson, Nebraska. For more information on her buggy restoration or photography projects, you can visit her Website at www.ruralpearl.net or email ruralpearl@gmail.com.

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