Horse Drawn Freighting in America

Owls Head, Maine - On Saturday, February 9 join Nick Buck as he presents an illustrated discussion on how America moved its freight and products before mechanized transport.  The presentation will be held at 1:00 pm at the Owls Head Transportation Museum.  Admission is free.

Buck has become a staple of the Winter Education Series over the last several years, most recently packing the house as he recounted his journey along the Oregon Trail with his brother Rinker and a team of mules.  Buck draws on his vast knowledge of horse and animal powered transportation and complements it with an equally amazing collection of images that accompanies his presentations.

“This talk will serve as an excellent entrée to our newest summer event, Horse Power,” says Education Director Ethan Yankura.  “Horse Power will celebrate a variety of four-legged power plants, beginning with an auction of carriages and sleighs on Saturday, June 8 and builds to the main event on Sunday, June 9.  The show will feature riding, driving and working demonstrations and exhibits that will thrill animal lovers and transportation enthusiasts of all types.

“Horse Drawn Freighting in America” is the third in a series of winter education programs to be offered by the Owls Head Transportation Museum.  All programs begin at 1 pm and are free to the public, thanks to the support of the Museum’s Lang Education Center.

The remaining Winter Education programs at the Owls Head Transportation Museum are:

March 9 “Rockland’s Lime Rock Railroad” – Spanning the 19th and 20th centuries, the Lime Rock Railroad served not only the lime industry in Rockland, but a variety of others.  A panel of local historians, including David Hoch, Larry Goldman, Gil Merriam and John Ware will address the history of this important line.

April 6 “The Trolley Parks of Maine” – Trolley parks are a now forgotten way of life, providing a destination for day-trippers and inexpensive entertainment around the state.  These parks were supported by the electric trolley lines that provided transportation to so many Mainers.  Join Amber Tatnall and Randy Leclair, of the Seashore Trolley Museum as they revisit some of Maine’s most popular Trolley Parks.

April 20 “Roadside Maine, A Nostalgic Journey Up Route 1” – Maine State Historian, Earle Shettleworth presents an illustrated talk comprised of post card views of roadside architecture along Route 1 in Maine from the 1900s to 1960s.  Learn how automobile travel, especially summer tourism travel, transformed Route 1 and the communities through which it passes.

The Owls Head Transportation Museum is located at 117 Museum Street, two miles south of Rockland, off Route 73 in Owls Head.  For more information, call 594-4418 or visit www.owlshead.org.