Original Milburn wagon box C. 1880s

The roots of the Milburn Wagon Company can be traced to owner George Milburn and his start in Mishawaka, Indiana in 1848.  He was contracted by the U.S. government to build wagons for the army in 1857 and ended up seeking help from the Studebakers in South Bend, just to get the order filled in time.  In 1873, he moved the firm to Toledo, Ohio and, within a few years, began producing buggies and spring wagons.  By 1888, Milburn was one of almost two dozen vehicle shops in the city.  A decade and a half later, Toledo was home to nearly three dozen vehicle shops – yet, Milburn continued to dominate the city’s vehicle production.   During the mid-1800’s, Milburn was producing around 600 wagons per week.  That’s one full wagon finished almost every 10 minutes.  It’s the kind of statistic that helps reinforce just how efficient the production processes of many of these mega-sized wagon firms truly were.  It also puts to rest any misconception that these folks were limited to crude hand tools and inconsistent design standards.  Clearly, by the 1880’s, many of America’s largest wagon makers had come into their own and were a serious competitive force to be reckoned with.

{First photo shows a compleate Milburn wagon on display in the collection at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne Vt.} What I have here is a 100% original Milburn wagon box which was found up on blocks in a Western Massachusetts barn. As you can see from the photo’s its in wonderful condition. This box has never been repainted with strong original color remaining. It has both of its side steps, foot rest, it has removable sideboards all the way around with original hard wear. If you have a set of running gear for a wagon which is missing its box and you want something original rather than making something up, well this is what your looking for. I may be able to help with finding a  shipper. Box measures 42″x 12′ might weight a couple hundred pds, not allot as I loaded and unloaded it myself. This is a wonderful piece of early American western history. I could also see this used at a country farm stand under a porch, waist high loaded with fresh farm produce. Presentation is everything!

$1275.00