Kid Hack

A kid hack was a Horse -drawn vehicle used for transporting children to school in the late 19th and early 20th Century in the United States . The word ''hack'', meaning a horse-drawn cab, is short for Hackney Carriage . The vehicle was actually powered by both Horse s and Mule s, and usually loaded at the rear to avoid frightening the animals. In those days, most elementary children in Rural areas attended One-room School s. A typical kid hack would serve all the Farm s in the area of the school, and usually transport under 20 children.

The horse-drawn kid hack is considered to be the precursor to the modern yellow School Bus . As early as 1914 , versions of kid hacks were attached to early motor vehicles by the Wayne Works in Richmond, Indiana . As motorized Truck s became more commonplace in rural locations, detachable wooden kid hack bodies were made which could be removed when the truck was in other use. Around 1927 , much heavier all-steel bodies were introduced for this purpose by Wayne Works and other companies. Permanently mounted on the truck chassis, the combined vehicle became known as a school bus.

The Wayne County Historical Museum in Richmond, Indiana has a restored horse-drawn "kid hack" on display.

SEE ALSO

EXTERNAL LINK

Wayne County Historical Museum, Richmond, Indiana

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Kid Hack