AMESBURY — The Amesbury Carriage Museum is seeking a new home to hold its vast collection of historic carriages and sleighs, the organization’s executive director Holly Babin said earlier this week.
The local nonprofit organization has a collection of approximately 20 historic carriages and sleighs in its possession.
Over the years, the carriages and sleighs have been stored in multiple different locations, with the artifacts most recently being stored in a space in Amesbury donated by a local benefactor.
However, because the current storage space is now changing its use, the museum is looking for a new home for its historic collection.
Specifically, the organization is looking for a new benefactor willing to donate an enclosed, dry space of 2,500 square feet or more that would allow for easy access to the collection.
“We’re just looking for a secure place that’s clean and dry and just to keep them safe,” Tom Pendergast, treasurer of the museum’s board of trustees said.
The need for access to the collection stems from the fact that museum volunteers would visit the space to examine and clean the carriages and sleighs, as well as move them in and out of the area for restoration and exhibitions.
“We have a group of volunteers who care for the carriages, and we also move them frequently, because we want them to put them on display here at the Industrial History Center (IHC) at the Millyard. And, we have them, on occasion in other areas throughout the community on display,” Babin said.
The donation of a space would be considered a charitable contribution, according to the museum.
“The gift of a secure building or portion of a building would be a tax-deductible charitable contribution to the extent permitted by law; as would any additional gifts received to make improvements to the location to make it carriage- and sleigh-friendly,” a museum official said in a statement.
While the museum would prefer the new space to be located in Amesbury, locations in nearby communities will be considered as well.
Despite the fact that the space where the carriages are stored will change, Babin said the organization does not foresee the change having any impact on the day to day operations of the museum.
“We don’t anticipate that it will. We have two carriages on display in the museum right now, at the Industrial History Center. And, we continue to put them on display, we rotate the ones that are here on display at the IHC, and when the weather is nice and permits, we’re able to show them outside,” she said.