Pony Wagon Museum Featured at Next CCHS Program

One of the Champaign County Historical Society’s allies in preserving local history will enjoy the spotlight at the CCHS Museum’s next free history program, at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 11.

Rick Burnside, director of the Pony Wagon Museum in St. Paris, will cover the museum’s role in showcasing St. Paris area history, including the true story behind St. Paris being known as the Pony Wagon Town. St. Paris was the center of manufacturing of quality pony pleasure wagons, carriages made to be pulled by smaller sized horses, typically for children.
 
The Walborn and Riker Company of St. Paris was known worldwide as the maker of these luxury carriages. The Pony Wagon Museum, housed in a former freight house for the Pennsylvania Railroad, displays some of these horse-drawn vehicles.
 
Those who attend the April 11 program will have a chance to see a Walborn and Riker carriage in the CCHS Museum’s collection.

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About the Champaign County Historical Society
The museum collects, preserves, and interprets artifacts, documents, and other resources from Champaign County to educate current and future generations about our history.

The museum, which recently completed a capital improvement project, has been located at 809 East Lawn Ave., Urbana, since 1972. Originally established in 1934, the CCHS Museum first housed its collection at the former location of the Champaign County Library on West Market Street, and then moved to the Nutwood Barn, south of Grimes Field on North Main Street.

The Historical Society is open to the public 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.