Last weekend, the HH and I headed out on a date day adventure and one of the stops we made was to the Owl’s Head Transportation Museum in Owls Head, Maine. They were having an All American Car Show {and had a few planes too} and it was such a blast to see all the old cars up close and pick out our favorites.
One of my favorites was a Dunton Reading Gypsy Caravan.
According to the little plaque at the museum…
“Circus troops were among the first people to use wagons for homes in the early 1800’s. Traveling from town to town, venue to venue, these large wooden wagons were pulled by teams of horses.
By the mid-1800’s, wagons had become much smaller and lighter and were pulled by a single horse. Gypsies began living in and traveling by wagon in 1850. Prior to this, they walked, carrying their possessions in carts and camped in tents.
The Gypsy name for these wagons is Vardo. Vardos were typically commissioned by newly married couples and took between 6 to 12 months to build. The reading style, seen here, is one of the six types of wagons used by the Gypsies.
The name Dunton, wagon builders of Reading, England, became synonymous with it’s style of wagon they created. Some of the wagons unique features included the gargoyle heads at the four corners of the roof that are connected to gutter systems, removable stairs for easier access to the living compartment, a queen size bed in the very rear of the wagon with a bed below for the children and a queenie wood stove for heating as meals were typically cooked over an open fire.”
Can you imagine travelling around the country in one of these? I’d much rather stay in one of these than a tent, that’s for sure.
1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen
1925 Ford T Beach Wagon
I LOVED this one!! The wood paneling was beautiful.
I’m not sure of the year of this old Model T Ford bus, but can you imagine going down a hill in one of these? So cool, but yikes!
1932 MG F1 MAGNA with custom body
This one reminded me of the car from the movie The War of The Roses.
1914 Roll-Royce Royce Limousine
That’s a lot of car for just one or two people in the back.
The leather seat from a 1932 Harley Davidson Model 32-V
1948 Oldsmobile Sedan
1967 Camaro
And it’s price tag!!
I’m not sure of the years of these planes but they had a few out on the field so I had to snap a few pictures.
The HH really liked the look of this one.
And last but not least… how would you like to go up in this old Curtiss flying machine? Talk about being insanely brave {or just insane}.
Umm… I think I’ll watch here from the ground thank you very much. 😉
The Owls Head Transportation Museum, in Owls Head, Maine. It was a lot of fun and we are already looking forward to going back.
Have a great day everyone,
~Mavis
Owls Head Transportation Museum
117 Museum Street
Owls Head, ME 04854
Rebecca in MD says
That gypsy wagon is incredible. Talk about tiny house living!
LindaT says
That’s the first thing I thought, too! Tiny houses just made a comeback.
Teresa Young says
The Glenn H Curtiss Aviation Museum is in our area of NY. He was a contemporary & rival of the Wright Brothers. If you’re ever in the Hammondsport NY area, check it out.