SOUTH BEND, Wash - Once dubbed "the gilded palace of excessive extravaganza" by a local newspaper editor back in 1910, the Pacific County Courthouse and its colorful glass dome has long been the pride of Pacific County. Now there's something else folks around here are getting excited about, The Northwest Carriage Museum in Raymond.
" We get comments all the time from visitors that don't believe this little museum could be in Raymond." said owner Jerry Bowman.
The Northwest Carriage Museum is home to more than two dozen, shiny, perfectly restored, horse drawn carriages--most dating back to the late 19th century when the automobile started coming into play.
"During this period of transition," said Bowman,"it was estimated there were 25 million horses in our country. There were 300-thousand horses on the streets of New York City so they had men going up and down the streets with work wagons doing nothing but shoveling manure all day long."
They may not have smelled glamorous but the top of the line carriages did offer luxury. And you can see many fine examples at the Northwest Carriage Museum.
For more information, visit
http://nwcarriagemuseum.org/
