Harness and Boot Repair Shop

This shop was originally a garage on Main Street.  The museum bought it for $20 and moved it here in 1971 where it became "The Harness Shop."  When people used horses for transportation they needed to have harnesses made so the horses could be hitched to wagons, buggies and sleighs.  Cowboys still need saddles for their horses.  Long ago, saddles were made by harness-makers.  The work in the shop was mostly done with leather (made from cowhide), so the harness-maker often doubled as a shoe-maker.  In the shop you will see shoe lasts for fashioning boots and shoes.  The large tub was filled with Neet's Foot Oil.  All the leather could be soaked in this oil to make it soft enough to work with.