Baltimore Bell Teams
BALTIMORE BELL TEAMS
BALTIMORE BELL TEAMS were named for the small bells suspended in metal arches over the curved wooden supports (called hames) to which the lines of a draft horse's harness were attached. The bells served to speed the horses and sound warnings on narrow, crooked roads. These teams hauled farm produce to Baltimore, Maryland, and returned with goods for homes and local merchants. Such teams made regular trips from points as far southwest as Knoxville, Tennessee, and operated until 1850 or later, when they were replaced by canals and railroads.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Raitz, Karl, ed. The National Road. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996.
John W.Wayland/a. r.
See alsoPack Trains ; Wagoners of the Alleghenies .
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Baltimore Bell Teams