In 1949, the hose cart was stored in a small building in what is now the West Street Commons. The cart is believed to be over 100 years old at that time. When it was moved to the firehouse on Church Street, the repairs needed were obvious. It was sent to Lapp Carriage Shop in Intercourse, Pennsylvania.

John Lapp, an Amish buggy maker, took on the job of restoring the hose reel. It is estimated that over 500 hours of work went into the painstaking job at his shop. Labeled W.W.H.2, date 1854, the hose reel was completely taken apart by Lapp.

In 2002, the carriage was sent to Leola Coach Works in Leola, Pennsylvania. Mr. Stoltzfus restored the coach to its current condition at a cost of about $4000.

Aaron Stoltzfus Jr. of Intercourse, Pennsylvania did the fancy pin-striping. Mrs. Cameron W. Wells and her assistant did the gold leaf work on the carriage. She estimated that over 1,000 sheets and 3-1/2 squares were used, requiring 265 hours.

Lapp said that there were over 800 parts to the carriage of which 685 were chrome-plated. The plating was done at C. E. Brubaker and sons. Additional work included "hooping" of the wheels, putting on the new iron rims and rebuilding the seat. The rear wheels are approximately 5-1/2 feet tall.