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One of our most challenging
and interesting projects is the horse drawn hearse that
we were commissioned to design and build.
Junior Pearson approached us about the possible project
after he obtained the undercarriage. Being a horse drawn
carriage enthusiast, he thought it would be great to own
a custom made hearse. So we set to work designing one. After
pouring over pictures and using Junior's knowledge of such
vehicles, we came up with a design that we were pleased
with. We tried to make it as historically correct as possible,
but sized so it could be used with today’s caskets.
Junior prepared the undercarriage, had new wheels made by
an Amish community and the brass plated in Arizona. Native
walnut was chosen for the body. The decorative details,
such as the finials on the top and the scrollwork, were
both done by hand. The corner columns were also turned on
the lathe.
The doors on the back are curved and the roof over the back
doors is also curved, which means that several pieces of
2" wide strips of wood had to be carved down by hand
to fit.
The interior upholstery, tufted ceiling and curtains, was
done by Grace Groszkrueger.
Hearse
Facts
Total height: 85"
Width of body: 45"
Total Length: 14'
Total Man Hours to Design, Build & Finish: 450 hrs.
(or 56.25 8-hour days)
Made of local native Iowa walnut with oak frame
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Furniture
