"...in a one horse open sleigh." For anyone interested in learning about the conveyances used to take families over the river and through the woods in the 1890s and early 1900s, Al and Mary Isselhard of Clarendon are the local sources. "After we moved to our house in Clarendon in 1977 we started getting interested in sleighs and sleds," Mary said. "Our first horse drawn sleigh was painted red and stenciled." The sled was a petite version of a horse drawn sleigh. Mary said she sometimes cringes when she sees people display antique sleds and sleighs in their front yards during the winter season. "The sleighs, sleds and their runners are made to rush through the snow; when they sit immobile the wood can get ruined," she explained. The Isselhards' collection includes several varieties of children's sleds and sleighs, cabinet cards showing children posed with their sleds and other memorabilia celebrating the sled. "Many of the cabinet cards are from the 1890s and when I look for them I try to find cards that show the children in their period clothing," Mary said. The big find for Al was when he uncovered a sleigh horn on e-Bay. "The horn was from 1905 and was adorned with the names of all the people who were out on a ride carved into the horn," he said. "The horn was from a sleighing party in the Catskill Mountains." According to the Isselhards, large snow rollers were pulled down the roadways in preparation for the families to get out in their sleighs. "There were no plows and the snow rollers packed down the snow so the cutters could slice through," Al said. In addition to the sleds and sleighs, the Isselhards have antique children's books that feature sleds and they also have an extensive collection of old photographs that they had made from glass negatives. "We've found old newspaper articles that mention sleds and when we do our speaking programs we ask individuals who attend whether they have any diaries from family members that might mention sledding," Mary said. "People mail us information from old diary passages that mention sledding parties." The couple gives talks across the region that focus on the historical aspects of the sledding including descriptions of the various types of sleds, designs and the way that sleighbells were used as an early form of a car horn. "There were no car horns and because the horse's hooves were muffled on the snow, sleighs had bells mounted as a signal to other sleighs that they were coming up behind them," he said. Among the memorabilia, the Isselhards have photographs featuring a pair of racing horses pulling a "speeding" or racing cutter in Rochester where horse drawn sleighs once raced on East Avenue. They also have a photo depicting a line of horse drawn sleds piled high with hay bales."We think the photo came from the Barre area and that the drivers pictured were hauling hay to the railroad lines for transport to either Rochester or Buffalo," Al said. "Looking for antique sleds and sleighs and memorabilia is like a treasure hunt," Mary said. "We have some items in our collection that we just happened upon." Mary is also an antique dealer. The Isselhards will be hosting a presentation, talk and display of their items at the Clarkson Historical Society on January 4 at 7:15 p.m. Additionally, they will be speaking in Akron on January 12 and at the Wheatland Historical Society on January 19. About this occasional feature: December 25, 2005 |
