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| CAROLINE COUNTY - You name it and Trooper T .C. Collins of Division I, Area 44, has probably built it out of wood. Collins has made more toy planes, trains and automobiles than he can remember. His Victorian dollhouses, curio cabinets and an entire handcrafted bedroom set can be found in his neighbor's homes. It was one of Collins' picnic tables, however, that caught the eye of Bowling Green funeral director, David Storke. "Storke said, 'I saw a picnic table that you built for my neighbor. I was wondering if you could build me a horse-drawn hearse,"' Collins recalled with a smile. "I laughed at him! |  Owner David Storke & T.C. Collins |
| But, the Fredericksburg native is never one to refuse a challenge; and on Aug. 15, an ornate, glossy black, horse-drawn hearse was delivered to Storke Funeral Home.
"It's exactly what I wanted. Collins had free creative license for this," Storke said. Storke purchased an early 1900s Mennonite buggy at an auction. Armed with a few magazine pictures and a tremendous amount of ingenuity, Collins began his project. " I had nothing but an axle. I just went up!" Collins said. He started by traveling to an Amish community in Maryland to study their horse-drawn buggies. Collins only bought the parts that he could not make himself. Springs were purchased from the Amish and the brass pieces came from local antique dealers. A neighbor sewed the fancy drapes and another one painted the gold lettering. Four months and eight coats of paint later, Collings had a finished product. "Once I got the sides up, it all just fell into place," Collins said. Collins isn't letting the saw dust collect on his shop floor. He already has started on a second horse-drawn hearse for a funeral director in Maryland. |
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