Restored Treasures

Click on menu buttons above
to select sub-pages under main topic of Carriages.

A Carriage Returns Home
 Posted here February 2009

On February 6, 2009, the Cabriolet carriage came back home to Longview Farm and the Show Barn, which is now Longview Farm Elementary School.

The Cabriolet was made by Henney Buggy Company and in 1893 this carriage design won Grand Champion at the World’s Fair.  It is very unique with its “undercut” so the wheels can turn under the body and what makes it even more rare is the “split front seat.” It was not a show vehicle but was used on the farm.

Mr. Henney was Superintendent for the only carriage company in Kansas City in 1868, Willey’s Carriage Co., and then he started his own company.  R. A. Long rode his Saddlebred horses to work, home for lunch, then back to work.  The blacksmith shop/livery was down the block from his office and right across from the Willey’s Carriage Co.  Henney’s stayed in operation until 1916.

This carriage was given to Bud Johnson by Mrs. Combs in the 1950’s in exchange for hay work.  Craig Walker (Our Vice President at the time), heard of the carriage in 2005 (read article below) and bought it from Bud’s brother, Bob Johnson.  R. A. Long Historical Society has now purchased it from Craig.  The Cabriolet is in very good, original condition and now on display at the school for an indefinite amount of time.  This is the only known Loula Long Combs carriage on display at this time.  We feel we are honoring her wishes that her carriages be on exhibit.

We want to thank Bob Johnson, Craig and Robyn Walker and Longview Farm Elementary School for making all this possible.

The Cabriolet is back home where it belongs ...

There Are Still Some Treasures Out There
 Originally posted here November 2005

I was able to get a hold of the phone number and call.  I was working at Longview Horse Park so I had a little trouble getting in contact.  When I did, the return caller said that he was “Bob War Paint Johnson.”  War Paint?  Yes, War Paint.

This was the man who rode War Paint at the Chief’s games back when we were Champions.  He and his brother, Bud Johnson, both worked for Mrs. Combs.  Bud was given the carriage by Mrs. Combs.  Bud was also the person that would provide Mrs. Combs’ carriages for fund-raisers in the late 1960’s.  These are the same carriages that are in the archives.  They were often used for a Victorian-like Ball and for carriage rides, to reenact the way things used to be at the turn of the century.

The carriage was less than one mile from the Longview Horse Park.  While trying to find out who had this carriage, I was driving back-and-forth in front of his house at least two times a day for the last week before I figured out where the vehicle was.

A BIG thanks to Wanda and Bob Johnson for holding this carriage for me.  They had no more than my word and what the carriage would be used for.  Until that day, I had never met Mr. Johnson.  I do know his brother, Bud Johnson, and his son is a good friend of mine.

Mrs. Combs’ vehicle can now be displayed and it will not be tied up in the archives.  In some respects, this vehicle may be of more importance besides the connection with the Long family.  Its builder was one of the main carriage builders here in Kansas City at that time.

By being able to bring this vehicle out for people to see, we can give everyone only a small taste of what was given to us by Mrs. Combs.

Long Lost Horse Cart Found

1. It was found in her barn.

2. The seat cover is maroon … her show colors were maroon and silver.

3. Although this cart would normally be drawn with one horse, the pole attachment clearly shows that two horses pulled this cart.

4. A number burned into the bottom of the floorboards, 12722 fits with the year 1922, the height of Loula’s show days and matches Loula’s numbering system.

David Gale, the Longview developer, agreed to lease for three years for $1 under the condition that the cart is used for fundraising activities to support the restoration of the carriages and Carriage House.

The big news came from the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, for their Hackney Horse/Pony Society show for which we ran an ad for the Loula Long class.  I received inquiries from Kentucky, and Tim Sullivan (RALHS President 2006 to 2014) had also been talking with the Kentucky Horse Park.  They were interested in knowing more about the carriages.  That organization can be a big help when restoration on the carriage house begins.

The carriage is a Meadowbrook Cart, on loan from Craig and Robyn Walker of Walkabout Farms in Peculiar, Missouri.

It is a modern version of a Meadowbrook in the collection of Loula Long Combs’ carriages.  The Meadowbrook is primarily a pleasure vehicle, hence the picnic basket posed on the seat.  This one is hand-built of solid oak and features brass appointments for shows.  With the axle mounted directly to the shaft and the springs attached to the seat, it can slide quickly around tight turns in timed competitions.  The wheel hubs are flush and nerf bars on the sides of the cart keep it from getting stuck on other carriages, horses or brush.

The $5,000 event on November 20, 2004
in the UPHA National Championship,
Harness Pony event.  The winner is “Shake Don’t Stir”
and was driven by Mary Gaylord McClean.

CLICK on Each Thumbnail to View Enlarged Versions
(Photos courtesy of the Northeast News)