The McRae buggy took its last ride through the Roberdel community Thursday morning — at least for now.

In 1941, Oscar Henry McRae bought an enclosed buggy to haul farm products from his Green Lake Community farm near Bear Branch Road to Rockingham on Saturdays to supplement his income from growing tobacco. Oscar died in October 1948.

His son, Robert McRae, now 74, of Columbus, Miss., was in Roberdel this week at family property on his way to take the buggy from its recent home in Virginia. One of Robert’s sisters had taken the buggy to Virginia in 1963.

When she died, her daughter called Robert to see if he wanted it. He did, but it took him six years to go get it.

“When my father bought it at a livery stable in Rockingham in 1941, he said he was told it was over 100 years old,” Robert said. But, the maker didn’t form his company until 1877. If made then or soon after, it would be around 132 years old today.

The stable was in the vicinity of the present Dairy Queen on West Broad Avenue, Rockingham, he said.

“It was pulled by our horse Old Dan,” Robert said.

Oscar had been making deliveries with an open, horse-drawn wagon since the 1930s, so the buggy was an upgrade and provided shelter from the weather. Many of Oscar’s customers were in the Great Falls area of Rockingham.

“He never owned a car,” Robert said of his father.

Fred Hudson of Roberdel said, “You could almost set your watch as he would pass through Roberdel about the same time every Saturday morning in the buggy. Looking back, those days were something else.”

A Braithwait

The tale was that the buggy was made for one of the governors of Pennsylvania.

A brass plate on the back of the cab says, “BRAITHWAIT & CO., PHILA. PA”.

Another of Oscar’s son’s, Leon McRae, still lives is the Roberdel community. He will soon be headed for Mississippi to help Robert and his oldest son, Jeff, gently “restore” the buggy.

Jeff has a body shop where he restores cars. “It is in good shape,” he said of the buggy. “We were told by experts not to do much work other than clean and preserve it. In other words, don’t try to fill in cracks.”

Because of its age, they’ve learned the value is in the preservation, not restoration.

Everything is original to the buggy from the upholstery to all its moving parts. Jeff said he was amazed at the quality of the work which has lasted so long.

The only additions are two carbide lanterns on each side of the cab. The only replacement has been the hard rubber rims on the wheels.

“We just hung kerosene lanterns on each side,” Robert said when his father used it.

The carriage lamps used now fit perfectly on the original posts in place for them.

A little wear

One of the “fenders” over the left wheel leans a little from where Oscar used to haul 100-pound blocks of ice tied to it.

But from hauling eggs, butter and other farm produce for years, it shows little wear although the finish is rough in places.

“You can tell it was high-quality workmanship,” Jeff said pointing out fine details.

The doors of the cab still shut as firmly as those on a new car. The windows still go up and down from within the cab body with a tug from the original brocaded and tasseled cloth pulls.

A horse could be driven from a seat outside or from the inside seat with the front window down.

Heading home

The buggy has been kept in a barn in Virginia. Robert said he has a covered place for it in Mississippi.

On the way from Virginia to Mississippi, Robert wanted to bring the buggy one more time home to Roberdel, and to work on the family house while doing it. Thursday morning they began the 600-mile trip to Columbus with the buggy covered on a utility trailer.

“Most older people in Roberdel recognize it,” Robert said of the buggy, since it took the McRaes through the community every Saturday.

At a recent show in Carthage — to which it made a special trip — it took first place in its category. It was once called the finest buggy on the east coast, Leon said. The buggy has been used in Christmas parades and for other special events.

The buggy was brought to Rockingham for the city’s 200th Anniversary celebration.

“We plan to continue to do the same,” Jeff said.

He said they discovered red paint under the black on the wagon wheel spokes, and he is considering restoring the red color.

Good shape

“It is in such good shape,” Jeff said as he moved the front wheels. The main concern is maintaining the condition of the cab top.

Leon said their father believed in “preventive maintenance,” and after trips in the buggy, he would remove the wheels and grease the axles and other parts.

The McRaes continued that family tradition this week removing the wheels with the help of an antique wooden jack “which works great,” Jeff said. Several original tools are still with the buggy.

The McRaes intend to take good care of their family heirloom. The value to them — priceless.

R. M. Braithwait of Philadelphia formed a partnership in March 1877 with George Petry, under the name of R. M. Braithwait & Co. to open a shop for making carriages.

n Contact reporter Tom MacCallum at 997-3111, ext. 15; e-mail tmaccallum@yourdailyjournal.com.