CLAYTON (NBC26) — A family-owned carriage business in Clayton lost their central barn and decades of family history in an early morning fire Saturday, but the Cavanaugh family says they're determined to rebuild.
The fire at Cavanaugh Carriages started around 1 a.m. Saturday morning, destroying the barn that had been built in the early 1970s by Cody Cavanaugh's parents.
"As I came down the road, I could see the glow in the sky. By the time I got here it was fully engulfed," Cody Cavanaugh said.
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The barn held more than 50 years of family memories and antique collections that Cody's parents had gathered over the decades.
"It held a lot of history. Dad was an avid collector of just cool antiques. He and mom collected a lot of neat stuff that was on display on the inside," Cavanaugh said.
All of the sentimental items were lost in the blaze, including saddles, harnesses and other irreplaceable family heirlooms.
"Those are the things you can't replace. Mom and dad's saddles, things that they used, the things that they did that they put their hands on in there," Cavanaugh said.
Cody's father, Rodger Cavanaugh, was a science teacher for the Neenah School District for 30 years.
"This is the childhood place," Cavanaugh said.
Despite the devastating loss, the family is grateful that no one was hurt and all of the dozens of animals that call the farm home made it out safely.
"Lots of memories lost, lots of equipment lost, but no lives lost so that's a relief," Cavanaugh said.
The farm houses a collection of carriages and offers horse-drawn rides. They had to cancel rides on Sunday due to the fire, but the family plans to get back on the saddle quickly.
"We're a strong family, we're resilient," Jessica Cavanaugh said.
The Cavanaughs say that while this marks the end of their historic barn, it's also the start of what comes next.
