Burning rubber in an Old Order Mennonite buggy
Ruth at Body, Soul, and Spirit shares the above photo and others in a recent post about a trip through an Old Order Mennonite-inhabited region in Canada.
Notice the wheels, or rather tires on this carriage. Stephen Scott explains in Plain Buggies: Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren Horse-Drawn Transportation that rubber tires are common for the larger Mennonite groups in Waterloo County, Ontario, but that some smaller groups do not permit their use. In fact, you’ll notice that in other photos on Ruth’s blog, the Mennonite carriages pictured have the usual spoked wheels.
Scott also notes that rubber tires are common among most of the Old Order Mennonites in Virginia.
That is an interesting looking buggy and quite unattractive! I haven’t looked thru Scott’s book yet, but had in my mind that rubber tired/wheel buggies had traditional wheels with solid rubber tires. Always good to learn and see something new. Her blog does have some interesting posts as well – thx.
Well, that’s something I’ve never seen before! I might get used to it but at first glance it strikes me as kind of awkward looking, sort of like those Mini-Coopers – like something just isn’t right. ha ha They do look sturdier to me though and make me think they might be safer, but what do I know, I drive a minivan!?
Thanks for the link to my blog. As awkward or unattractive as this buggy may be, I would prefer to it to the open ones with the very cold temperatures we have had this winter. Perhaps these tires work better in the snow.
While they aren’t so common in the horse-and-buggy world, the tires probably make for a smoother ride. Old Colony Mennonites in Latin America also use rubber tires on their “karrenwagen”, fashioned from the chassis of old cars.
Ruth thanks for sharing these interesting photos!
Looks great to me. I like the idea of a much slower pace of life, out of the fast lane. I think it is elegant and I like the idea of a horse clip clopping in front of me.