09/03/2026
Hal Miller in the 'new' museum room at the Windy Hollow Restaurant in the early 1980's.
Hal started really moving the museum from the old Hollow Country Store and Museum to the restaurant in the 1980's and added a room overlooking the strip pit on the back of the restaurant. He wanted it big enough to hold wagons and whatever else he could drag in the place!!! He actually cut out the front window of the restaurant so he could roll in the Ford Depot Hack (body made by F.A. Ames Co.) and the stagecoach.
As you can see in this photo, we had an OwensborO Wagon and the old F.A. Ames Co. sign. he also had display cases he moved from the museum to the restaurant and with the extra space, he had about 10 tables in the center of the room.
Later, he moved the museum portion of this room to the 'new' museum he built at the front of the building, where the museum stayed.
The wagon, sold in Fordsville by T.J. Whittinghill, was moved back to the Country Store Museum building to make room! It was moved to Highway 81 in '07. Because to was outside, under cover, I still worried about it slowly decaying. My cousin, Whitney and her husband Brian, bought the wagon and use it for event displays and such. Letting the old wagon live on!
The sign: I had a meeting in 2017 at Andersen Window in Owensboro - the location of the original wagon factory. The Ames Co. built cars under their name and also built bodies for Ford. They have a nice display area in the front of the building. Many years ago, they bought a Depot Hack from Dad on display that I was admiring/reminiscing when I looked down and SAW THE SIGN!!!! Learning that it was safe, with a Windy Hollow/Hal Miller connection, I just stood there and cried. It had only been 2 years since Dad had passed. It was then I hoped the meeting would be a bit late!!!!
There are lots of Owensboro wagons that have survived but they are getting harder to find in great shape. Dad told me of a story when he was in Europe during WWII and they were going farm to farm, sweeping the area. He said he went behind a barn and SAW an Owensboro wagon!! He immediately said, "Talk about being homesick.... "
