With the coming of spring, I am reminded of the history of the Museum’s centerpiece, the Timberville Bandwagon, located in the center of our exhibits. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one of the favorite events in local towns was the annual Firemen’s parade and lawn party. Each town had a parade and participated in those of the neighboring towns as well. Marchers included members of the area Fire Departments in their finest full uniforms sometimes with majorettes and showcasing their sparkling fire equipment, local high school bands, town bands, civic organizations, local businesses, and, of course, the Timberville Band Wagon.
THE BAND
Like other towns in our area including Broadway, Mayland, and New Market, Timberville had its own Brass Band. Originally organized in 1879, it had declined about the turn of the century but revived after WW I when Dr. Welty Fahrney, local dentist and musician, along with Harry Bull, a skilled trumpet player, reorganized the band with new musicians. Dr. Fahrney had been one of the band’s original organizers.
THE BANDWAGON
According to articles in local 1950s newspapers, the wagon was originally a late 1800s circus wagon sold to the New Market Band when the circus was shut down there (or perhaps in Mt. Jackson). In 1900, New Market sold the wagon to the Timberville Band. Repainted and restored by Mr. John Fahrney, Will Rife and his father Henry, the band continued to use it in parades until the 1940s. The horse-drawn wagon could seat 12 to 14 performers along with the drivers. According to one band member,” We played for lawn parties all up and down the Valley. We were booked solid from May through August.”
In the 1940’s, the band disbanded and, according to Mrs. Paige Gordon, the band wagon was put in storage in a shed near the Timberville Town Hall until the 1950’s when it was loaned indefinitely to the Graves Car and Carriage Caravan Museum in Luray, VA. The wagon returned to Timberville in the late 1960s and was stored at the Rocking R Hardware Store until the revival of the Timberville Band in 1974. After several years, the band disbanded, and the wagon went back into storage at Rocking R Hardware until it was moved to the original Plains District Museum behind the town office in 1998. It became the impressive centerpiece of the Museum in 2008 when Plains District Museum moved to its permanent location and the bandwagon’s former storage home at Rocking R Hardware.
We encourage you to visit the Museum and view first-hand this impressive piece of local history.
PO Box 601
176 N. Main St., Timberville VA 22853
540-896-7900
Email: plainsmuseum@comcast.net
Website: plainsmuseum.com
