Historical Society Talk: "Horse Powered Transportation in Wintry 19th Century America"

In modern America, most of us take for granted the speed, comfort and ease by which we can travel from point 'A' to practically anywhere, at any time, in all sorts of conditions and during every season of the year.  This was not the case, however, for our ancestors who, in this respect, lived in a very different world propelled not by combustion engines or electric motors, but by horse power.

This month, we'll explore how people in Fluvanna used horses to travel during the long, cold and snowy winters of nineteenth century America. Jim Gruber, propertier of CrackerJack Farms, local entrepeneur and everyone's favorite horsen-drawn carriage driver, will be our guest speaker. We'll learn more about the ... 

• types of horse-drawn vehicles used during the winter, how they were used and their popularity;

• relative advantages and disadvantages of each;

• breeds or types of horses best suited for these vehicles;