Warsaw couple Lee and Mary Hartle donated an antique sleigh to the city of Warsaw Monday afternoon. The Hartles purchased the sleigh in Portland, Ind., 10 years ago and brought it to Warsaw. “We have a farm out north of town and we had horses and we wanted some buggies, and we saw in a farming paper an advertisement for a sleigh in Portland,” Mary said. They bought a two-seater sleigh and then they purchased a one-seater sleigh that was made in Warsaw. “We bought it, but we’ve never used it,” Mary said. The sleigh was built in Warsaw in the 1800s at Orams Carriage and Wagon Works. The business was at the northeast corner of Lake Street where the Justice Building is now located. “It looks nice at Christmas time and I am hoping for a place to store it,” Lee said. They previously stored it in their barn. Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer thanked the Hartles for their donation. “This is something the community can enjoy with the heritage of ironworks in our community making something like that,” Thallemer said. “You don’t have that anymore and that is the best part of this story.” The sleigh is on display at the city hall lobby Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. now until Jan. 5. People can take photos with the sleigh, but in the interest of preservation are asked not to sit in it.
