buckboard

Buckboard, c. 1880; in the Long Island Museum of American Art, History & Carriages, Stony Brook, N.Y.

buckboard, open, flat-bottomed, four-wheeled carriage in which a springy board fastened to the axles supplemented or served in place of actual springs. Springs, if present, were between the board and the seat and not attached to the axles.

Several varieties of buckboard carriage, such as the surrey buckboard, were popular in the United States in about 1900. Buckboards were usually built with one to three double seats.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.