A Piece of History: Sleigh Bells

I have always loved heirlooms and hearing the story behind them; so I thought I would share my interest with you by telling you about a set of sleigh bells. :)



These sleigh bells belonged to Verne Lunn, my maternal great-great-grandfather, in the late 1800s-turn-of-the-century. His only mode of transportation was a wagon or sleigh, which he also used to take out Vella Haas, my great-great-grandmother, when they were courting. His horse knew the way to her house, and he didn't even have to guide her. :) One day, when Verne was taking out another young lady, he was not paying attention to driving the sleigh. When the horse came to a stop, he was in front of Vella's house! :D

                                                                                                                             

So now that you have a bit of a background story, I researched the bells, and here are the facts I found:



The particular bells my great-great-grandfather used were Swedish style bells, which were the largest kind used. The two larger bells are 9 inches around, while the two smaller bells are 7 inches around; the whole strip  is 20 1/2 inches long and weighs 3 pounds!

                                                                                                                                 

 

My great-great-grandfather's (Verne Lunn's) sleigh bells

 

 
Sleigh bells (Sometimes called horse bells) were most popular in the mid to late 1800s through the turn of the century. They had a practical use as well as a decorative one; they warned pedestrians and other drivers of the oncoming vehicle and alerted customers that street vendors of delivery wagons were in the neighborhood.

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

       American Gentleman's Newspaper sleigh bell advertisement, 1881

 

The leather strip on which the four bells are fastened is known as a "rump strap" or "hip strap" because it lies across the horse's back or rump and under the back strap of the horse's harness. A small "keeper" is riveted to the middle of the rump strap and buckles over the back strap to keep the bells from falling off. 


So now that you know one of my favorite heirlooms...What are your favorite family heirlooms?? :)







Love,

Ava Katherine <3