Middleton Carriage House - Charleston, South Carolina
Posted by: 
DougK
N 32° 53.940 W 080° 08.220
17S E 580710 N 3640420
Middleton Place has a carriage building where four different types of carriages are on display.
Waymark Code: WMKMTC
Location: South Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 05/03/2014
Views: 3
Signs on the four carriages, Left to RIght, read:
JUMPSEAT BUGGY (c. 1900)
With a folding front seat, this vehicle can be driven from either the front or the back seat. This was a fairly common vehicle for both urban and rural use.
Generally speaking, a buggy was single-seated shallow body mounted on a flexible, spring gear, sporting four lightweight wheels, and was drawn by a single horse. The very lightest held a single person, but many buggies easily accommodate two, and some variants (like the one on display) included a sliding or removable "jump" set for additional passengers.
Though surpassed in capacity by carts and wagons, and outclassed by broughams, no other vehicle so well symbolized the age of the horse-drawn vehicle in America.
BROUGHAM (c. 1840)
This type of carriage was named in honor of London's Lord Brougham, who, in 1837, redesigned an existing type of closed carriage to fit his particular tastes and requirements. By the turn of the century it had become the most popular cab.
The vehicle is fairly compact, with a fully-paneled coupe body with a paneled boot for the driver. The interior was usually lined with fabrics and upholstery. It was made for two passengers, although a third could ride with the driver. Many of them also included mirrors, cigar / cigarette cases, and often, reading lamps.
THREE-SEATED SURREY (c. 1880)
Designed to hold more passengers, this vehicle could be used for family outings or as a way to transport large groups. It has a standing fringe top to provide shade and shelter for the passengers. Shades and flaps could be rolled down to provide shade or shelter for the elements.
Although the Surrey borrowed its name from a cart used in the County of Surrey, England, it is an American carriage built for American families, and many historians claim that it probably did more to unite scattered communities and families into a great nation of neighbors and friends that any other carriage or wagon.
GOVERNESS CART (c. 1900)
This yellow wicker is a type of light wagonette used mostly by children and their caregiver. Entry is through a small door in the rear and the body is frequently made of wicker. The driver was seated which allowed him or her to keep an eye on their passengers. Larger versions of this vehicle - to be used by adults - were referred to as "tub carts".