Vintage motor vehicles will line the street in downtown Marshfield when the Hub City Days car show returns on Saturday, July 27, but you can go even further back in time to the days before motors at the North Wood County Historical Society’s “Horse Power” exhibit.
“The ‘Horse Power’ exhibit is something we are hoping will be an ongoing event during Hub City Days,” said said Kim Krueger, Coordinator. “Last year was our first year and we saw quite a few folks view the multiple carriages on display.”
Upham Mansion will be home to even more carriages this year, including the Figi’s beer wagon, sleighs and cutters, a wedding carriage, and an 1865 hearse.
Marshfield residents may have already spotted the old fire wagon on display at the Marshfield Fire & Rescue station. The fire wagon, made in Oshkosh, was used by early Marshfield firefighters for hauling hoses before being decommissioned in the 1920s. It was later purchased by a local veterinarian to exercise his horses and then stored by Marshfield Brewing Co.
The replica of an old-time beer wagon owned by Marshfield Brewing Co., according to newspaper archives, once won second place for best decorated carriage in 1956 during the centennial horse and buggy parade that August. Marshfield Brewing Co. was later sold in 1965 to Figi’s, which operated it as a side business until closing in 1967, which is why the wagon bears the Figi name today.
Stop by Upham Mansion at 212 W. 3rd St. near downtown from 10-3 p.m. to view the vehicles and have lunch for just $5. On the menu are hot dogs, brats, chips, cookies, and drinks.
