The Old Market Wagon - Part 1

(The following was written by Marilyn Gibboney, and is reprinted from “Reflections II”, a collection of local stories available at the Grove City Welcome Center and Museum. Any opinions made in the article are from the author.)My grandmother Louisa Scholsser and grandfather used a wagon for many years to transport their produce and products to Columbus and “stand on market”.Cold, hard cash was a rare commodity in the 1890s and early 1900s. The outdoor market located in Columbus gave the farmers of the surrounding area a chance to sell their vegetables, poultry, cheese, berries, fruit, flowers and any other articles they could get together. The harvest time and the times when livestock was sold provided the major source of income but that was only certain times of the year.My grandparents called their wagon the “Top Wagon” as it had once been just a wagon. Grandfather took this wagon over to Georgesville and Joe Emmelhainz, who was the blacksmith, made the black canvas cover. The front was glassed-in. Two people could ride in the seat and numerous children could ride in the back (no seats though).During the early years of their marriage grandfather was the one who went to market and sold the produce. Grandmother was the one who gathered and got the produce ready. She was home with all the little ones. Tuesday was their market day, so Monday was very busy and very long. Every Monday night, grandfather would grease all the wagon wheels after the other chores were done. One of the girls would hold a lantern while he did this chore. The two parents would get very soon after midnight and start to ready to produce and get ready to go. Of course there were the other chores to take care of also.The driving horse had to be curried and fed. They also put in a feed bag for the horse. The time of the year dictated what was taken to market.(The conclusion of this story in the next blog entry).