The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
A Piece of History
By Sue G. Collins, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: July 3, 2008
Robert Harrison called her "gorgeous" and Taylor Jacobsen said, "Wow!"Wayne Clements smiled broadly and winked while Bob Lane stood admiring the refined and polished natural beauty.
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The men, members of the Saline Area Historical Society, pulled their latest acquisition out of the old livery next to the Depot Museum a few weeks ago, circling the fully restored 100-year-old buggy like proud new fathers.
The sleek, shiny, black paint job, hand-detailed fine red pin stripes, elegant burgundy velvet upholstery and patented leather accents make the horse-drawn carriage appear as good as new, "museum quality," said Lane, a director at Saline Area Historical Society.
The buggy was discovered last fall, covered in cobwebs and decades of dust at a Salem Township farm owned by the Ziegler family. Alice Ziegler was a member of the Washtenaw County Historical Society for years and had mentioned the buggy to Dean Greb, a board member there, as well as with the Saline group.
"I suggested that if the county (historical) society did not have the facilities to accommodate the buggy that I would contact the Saline society regarding the acquisition, and the county society decided that we (Saline) would be the best group to accept, restore and display the buggy, which we agreed to do," said Greb, who was among the contingency from Saline who rescued the antique.
Bob Harrison recalled picking through the junk to get to the buggy last fall.
"It looked promising, but when we noticed the little tag, identifying it as a Walker buggy, manufactured at the Ann Arbor Carriage Works, we knew we had a gem," he said of the rare piece.
The men jacked up the roof that had collapsed and carefully placed it on a trailer to transfer it to Saline.
After a bit of research, the group found a reputable repair shop owned by an Amish family in Indiana.
Harrison and Jacobsen drove the buggy down, visiting old friends and two other buggy renovators before finding Martins Buggy Shop, where they were shown a barn full of new and restored buggies, sleighs, carts and even a horse-drawn hearse.
"Leonard Martin asked when we'd like it back," Jacobsen said. "We jokingly told him we'd like it for the Fourth of July and he plainly said, 'No problem.'"
When he and Harrison picked up the buggy, they were shocked.
"It was one pretty buggy. He promised a museum piece and that's exactly what we have," Jacobsen said.
The trotting carriage was probably built in the late 1800s for a minister or doctor, said Harrison, treasurer of the Saline Area Historical Society.
It's complete with a convertible roof, a trunk and new sturdier rubber wheels, replacing the original steel wheels. Many of the spokes are original -- some have been rebuilt, expertly by Martin's woodworkers. The renovation cost about $4,000.
Now, all that's needed is a horse to pull the buggy during historical society special events and through the streets of Saline during parades.
"We'd like a white horse -- a buggy horse -- but we won't be too choosy," Clements said. "It will be an amazing sight to see."
The Saline Depot Museum is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Call 429-1254 for information or to arrange a tour for more than 10 people.
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