LOUDONVILLE — Before the dawn of the automobile era, everyone relied heavily on horses for transportation.
Wealthier residents often had their own carriage houses on their property where they would board their horses and store carriages, wagons, and other tack. The rest of the residents, however, relied on Livery Stables.
These stables, such as Orra Beard, in Loudonville, would provide board and feed for horses to paying customers … essentially providing a place to “park” their horse temporarily. Liveries also owned their own horses, which they would rent out to locals and visitors who only needed them short-term (hence why we call canoe-rental facilities “liveries”).
When automobiles — first called horseless carriages–began to replace the need for horses, carriage houses became known as garages and many liveries were forced to close down.
Orra Beard’s livery was destroyed in the fire of 1901.
More information on the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum can be found at this link.
