Morris, the Horse

Tyron was home to Tryon Toy Makers, and two employees of the company, Meredith Lankford and Odell Peeler, designed the first large scale Tyron Horse there. The horse was used as an advertisement for the first horse show held at Harmon Field in 1928 and was sponsored by Tryon Riding and Hunt Club. 

It was made of wood, carried through town for parades, and when its reins were pulled, its head and tail would lift. Unfortunately, the original Morris was detroyed in the 1930s when the Paper Box Factory where it was being stored caught on fire.

The current Morris is made of fiberglass and is in the fourth generation of Tyron Horses. It does not travel in parades anymore, but every Christmas, a wreath sponsored by a local business is placed around its neck.  The inspiration for Morris came from a horse-on-wheels toy that was first made in 1916 by the founder of Toy Makers, Eleanor Vance.