PA Museums

Exploring the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum in Union County

A collage of four images from the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum. The top left image shows a maroon-seated buggy displayed in the museum's main exhibit area, with informational panels about Mifflinburg's buggy-making history. The top right image captures a tour guide demonstrating how buggy wheels were made using a vintage machine inside the factory. The bottom left image displays a collection of colorful buggies, including a green U.S. Mail buggy, set against a stone wall inside the museum. The bottom right image features the visitor center sign for the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, under a bright blue sky.

If you’re looking for information about visiting the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum in Union County, you’re in the right place!

The entrance area to the visitor center at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, featuring a welcoming sign that provides an introduction to the museum and its historical significance. The sign explains that the museum preserves the buggy shop and home of William A. Heiss, offering visitors a look into the past when buggy making was a major industry in Mifflinburg. A colorful painting of the museum complex hangs above the display, and to the right is a door with glass windows leading into the visitor center. The wooden walls and decor give the space a warm, inviting feel.

The Mifflinburg Buggy Museum offers a fascinating glimpse into the 19th century, preserving the only intact carriage factory complex in the United States.

A view inside the buggy factory at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, showcasing various tools and equipment used in the buggy-making process. A large grinding wheel stands in the foreground, while wooden workbenches, shelves filled with tools, and a buggy seat frame are visible in the background. The rustic wooden interior, with exposed beams and windows allowing natural light to filter in, adds to the historic atmosphere of the workspace, preserving the essence of 19th-century craftsmanship.

Mifflinburg, once known as “Buggytown USA,” was a hub for over 50 buggy and sleigh makers during the late 1800s.

An exhibit inside the visitor center at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum titled "Buggy Making in Buggytown," featuring informational panels about the history of buggy manufacturing in Mifflinburg. The display includes historical photos, tools used in buggy construction, and an old wooden sign reading "W. A. Heiss Coach Builder." Various artifacts are showcased in glass cases, highlighting the craftsmanship and significance of the buggy industry in the town's history. The walls are adorned with text and quotes that provide context about Mifflinburg's role as a hub for carriage production.

Today, the museum complex includes the home, factory, and showroom of William A. Heiss, a prominent buggy maker, as well as a modern visitor center.

The exterior of the William A. Heiss Coach Factory at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, a two-story wooden building with weathered siding and multiple windows. A sign above the entrance reads "Wm. A. Heiss Coachmaker." The building is surrounded by tall trees, and sunlight filters through, casting shadows on the rustic structure. The sloped wooden ramp on the side adds to the historic feel of the building, which was once used for constructing horse-drawn carriages in the 19th century.

A guided tour of the historic buildings allows visitors to explore the factory where buggies and sleighs were meticulously crafted from 1883 until 1920.

An interior view of the buggy factory at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, showcasing several vintage buggies on display. The buggies feature large wooden-spoked wheels and elegant designs, including a red carriage with tufted leather seating. The wooden structure of the building, with exposed beams and rustic flooring, adds to the historical atmosphere. Stairs in the background lead to an upper level, and natural light streams in, illuminating the craftsmanship of these 19th-century vehicles.

Directions | Hours | Admission Fees

The Mifflinburg Buggy Museum is located at 598 Green Street, Mifflinburg, PA 17844.

The museum is open Saturday – Sunday 1pm – 4pm, from May through the last Sunday in October.

The exterior of the visitor center at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, a yellow wooden building with green trim and a sloped roof. A sidewalk leads up to the entrance, which is adorned with a welcome flag and surrounded by potted plants and bushes. A vintage-style streetlamp stands along the sidewalk, and the building is set against a bright blue sky with scattered clouds. The well-maintained landscaping and welcoming atmosphere invite visitors to explore the museum and learn about Mifflinburg's buggy-making heritage.

Admission to the Visitors Center is free (donations accepted).

A sign in front of the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum's Charles McCool Snyder Education & Visitors Center, featuring black and green text on a yellow background. The sign also includes a small image of a horse-drawn buggy at the bottom, along with "Parking" indicated beneath it. The sign is mounted on wooden posts and stands on a grassy area near a sidewalk, with houses and a clear blue sky with scattered clouds in the background.

The guided tour of the the home, factory, and showroom of William A. Heiss costs $10/person.

A view of the William A. Heiss house at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, a two-story yellow wooden building with a gray metal roof and brown trim around the windows. The house is surrounded by lush greenery and flowering plants, with a paved walkway leading up to the structure. The blue sky and scattered clouds provide a picturesque backdrop to the historic home, which is part of the museum complex preserving Mifflinburg's buggy-making heritage.

What You’ll See at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum

One highlight of the guided tour is seeing the original tools and machinery inside William Heiss’ buggy factory still in place, as if frozen in time.

A tour guide at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum demonstrates the wheel-making process using a vintage piece of equipment. The guide, wearing a Mifflinburg Buggy Museum hat and shirt, stands next to a large machine used for bending wood to shape buggy wheels. The room features rustic wooden floors, exposed beams, and various tools and equipment in the background, including a large grinding wheel and shelves filled with supplies. The demonstration offers visitors a hands-on glimpse into the craftsmanship behind 19th-century buggy construction.

The Heiss home, furnished as it would have been during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, lets visitors step into the everyday life of a successful buggy maker.

A cozy kitchen inside the William A. Heiss house at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, featuring a table with a red and white checkered tablecloth set for a meal. The room includes a vintage black wood-burning stove with a pipe extending to the ceiling, a wooden cabinet, and shelves displaying kitchen tools and supplies. A washboard and butter churn sit on the side, adding to the historic feel of the space. The wooden flooring and walls, along with the soft natural light, create a warm and inviting atmosphere typical of a late 19th-century kitchen.

The museum’s collection includes buggies made by Heiss himself, as well as other locally produced carriages from the peak of Mifflinburg’s buggy industry.

A display of beautifully restored 19th-century buggies and a wooden sleigh at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, housed in a rustic wooden barn with exposed beams. The buggies feature intricate craftsmanship, including a green buggy with tufted leather seating and large yellow-spoked wheels. The sleigh, positioned nearby, has a weathered wood exterior, providing a glimpse into the diverse types of vehicles made in Mifflinburg during its buggy-making heyday.

Walking through the buggy showroom, you can marvel at the craftsmanship of these horse-drawn vehicles, which were once essential for transportation.

A display of two 19th-century buggies at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, set inside a rustic wooden barn with exposed beams. The buggies, one with bright red wheels and the other with green wheels, feature tufted leather seats and intricate designs. Informational placards stand in front of each buggy, offering historical context about their construction and use. The wooden floor and warm lighting enhance the historical atmosphere of the exhibit, showcasing the craftsmanship of Mifflinburg's buggy-making era.

The modern visitor center features interactive displays and exhibits that provide context about the town’s rich history as a major buggy production center.

The main exhibit area inside the visitor center at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, featuring a fully restored buggy with maroon tufted seats on display in the center. Informational panels on the walls provide details about Mifflinburg's history as "Buggytown" and the buggy-making process. A large sign for "W. A. Heiss Coach Builder" is prominently displayed above the exhibit, along with various artifacts, tools, and models related to carriage construction. The exhibit includes a wooden rocking horse and several displays showcasing the craftsmanship of 19th-century buggy builders.

Visitors learn not only about the technical aspects of buggy making but also about the cultural and economic importance of this industry to Mifflinburg.

A display of restored 19th-century buggies at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, including a green U.S. Mail buggy marked "R.F.D. No. 1" with bright red wheels, housed in a rustic stone and wood-beam structure. Other colorful buggies and carriages are visible in the background, showcasing the variety of transportation vehicles used during that era.

The museum does a fantastic job of showing how the advent of automobiles gradually replaced horse-drawn carriages, marking the end of the buggy era in “Buggytown USA.”

A vintage truck body built in Mifflinburg on display at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum. The weathered truck is housed in a wooden pavilion with a stone wall foundation, featuring large wheels and a wooden frame. Above the display, a bicycle is mounted on the wall, accompanied by informational panels explaining the history of the bicycle. The rustic setting and the historical vehicle offer a glimpse into Mifflinburg's transition from buggy to early automobile manufacturing.

Final Thoughts

The combination of historical artifacts, a beautifully preserved factory, and the stories of the Heiss family make this museum a treasure trove for history enthusiasts.

The upholstery shop inside the buggy factory at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, featuring vintage sewing machines and wooden workstations. The room has rustic wooden floors, exposed beams, and soft natural light streaming through the windows. Various tools and materials for crafting buggy upholstery are visible on shelves and tables, reflecting the craftsmanship involved in creating the seating and interiors for horse-drawn buggies. The historic atmosphere of the workshop transports visitors back to the 19th century, preserving the skills and tools of the era.

If you’re looking for an authentic journey back in time, the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum is the perfect destination.

A display of vintage buggies inside the coachworks at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, featuring a sleek black buggy with large wheels under a wooden, open-beam ceiling. The walls are made of wooden planks, and a large informational panel titled "Making a Buggy" provides details about the buggy construction process. Additional carriages are visible in the background, showcasing the craftsmanship of the 19th-century buggy industry.

Nearby Attractions

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RB Winter State Park is a 695 acre recreational area located in western Union County.

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T&D’s Cats of the World in neighboring Snyder County is a wildlife refuge dedicated to providing a safe haven for big cats and other exotic animals.

A collage of four photos taken at T&D's Cats of the World: The top left photo shows a white tiger walking along the edge of its enclosure, surrounded by greenery and a metal mesh fence. The top right photo features a close-up of a cougar resting peacefully on the ground within its enclosure, with a few plants growing near the fence. The bottom left photo captures a wooded gravel path flanked by animal enclosures, with trees providing shade along the tranquil walkway. The bottom right photo displays the entrance sign to T&D's Cats of the World, prominently featuring a lion's face, with a bright blue sky and trees in the background.

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