The Caroline eCarriage enters Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Thanksgiving Day, 2023

History will be made on Sunday, April 14 in Philadelphia, and you can be a part of it. The “Caroline” Carriage operated by Carriage Horse Freedom partners with the American Vegan Center for a one-of-a-kind event celebrating the carriage’s namesake, Caroline Earle White.

On April 14, 1869, White founded the organization that became the Women’s Animal Center, and which opened the first animal shelters in the United States. Caroline Earle White hated seeing the abuse of horses and tried to help them however she could. Last year the “Caroline” carriage became the first eCarriage to debut in a major US city, and April 14 will see the first public tours on the carriage.

As public opposition to horse-drawn tourist carriages grows here and elsewhere, the horseless electric tourist carriage is now showing up in cities worldwide, representing the wave of the future. Attendees will be able to get a taste of the future at this event, with short tours (around 5 minutes on the carriage) recounting the amazing life of Caroline Earle White offered in a space provided by the Society Hill Civic Association.

These sample tours will run from 11 am to 3:30 pm on April 14. Please register in advance below. Whoever counts themselves as a family (max. 5 people) can sign up as such; individual riders may be paired with other individuals on a ride depending on timing. Those attending can also choose to simply take a photo of themselves on the carriage; the ride fee includes a photo.

All who register in advance will receive a commemorative booklet documenting their attendance at this historic first step in establishing a new, innovative, animal-free industry in Philadelphia.

Special Thanks to the Society Hill Civic Association for lending us the space for the afternoon to do this event. SHCA members receive a 10% discount for riding the Caroline carriage.