1891 Abbot Downing Concord Coach
Add to SetSummary
The stagecoach is a symbol of the American West, but its origins are in New England. First built in the 1820s, Concord coaches featured an innovative leather-strap suspension that produced a rocking motion over rough roads -- easier on passengers and horses alike. This example carried passengers and mail in New Hampshire and Maine before the automobile made it obsolete. …
The stagecoach is a symbol of the American West, but its origins are in New England. First built in the 1820s, Concord coaches featured an innovative leather-strap suspension that produced a rocking motion over rough roads -- easier on passengers and horses alike. This example carried passengers and mail in New Hampshire and Maine before the automobile made it obsolete.
The coach was used from 1891-1898 by the Pitman Brothers of Lower Bartlett, New Hampshire who operated a hotel located in the White Mountains, a popular summer resort area in the late 19th century called the East Branch House. The coach next served as a passenger and mail coach between York, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire and was known as "The York Mail." After this run was discontinued about 1910, the coach was purchased by the Kearsarge House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, from which the name appearing on one side of this coach, "The Kearsarge," is derived. The coach was used by the hotel to meet trains, and for coaching parties. With the advent of trolleys and automobiles, the coach fell out of use.
Artifact
Concord coach
Date Made
1891
Creators
Abbot-Downing Company (Concord, N.H.)
Place of Creation
United States, New Hampshire, Concord
Creator Notes
Coach manufactured by Abbot, Downing & Company of Concord, New Hampshire; coach door decorations probably painted by artist John Burgum.
Keywords
United States, New Hampshire, Concord
United States, New Hampshire, Lower Bartlett
United States, New Hampshire, Portsmouth
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America
Object ID
24.261.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Wood (Plant material)
Paint (Coating)
Metal
Leather
Cloth
Technique
Painting (Image-making)
Color
Red
Yellow
Black (Color)
Blue
Dimensions
Height: 115 in
Width: 78 in
Length: 152 in
Wheelbase: 89 in
Diameter: 43.75 in (Wheel Diameter)
Diameter: 60 in (Wheel Diameter)
Weight: 2500 lbs
Inscriptions
above proper right door: THE KEARSARGE above proper left door: EAST BRANCH HOUSE on upper left door: PITMAN BROS. on rear of body: EAST BRANCH HOUSE undocumented location: ABBOT DOWNING COMPANY CONCORD, N.H. inside lamps: C. COWLES & CO. NEW HAVEN, CT.
Specifications
Make & Model: Abbot Downing Concord coach, 1891
Maker: Abbot, Downing & Company, Concord, New Hampshire
Height: 115 inches
Width: 78 inches
Wheelbase: 89 inches
Overall length: 152 inches
Number of horses: 4
Number of passengers: seats 9
Share Anywhere
Use this Artifact Card to share this great find with others. From historic images to vivid descriptions, a record of rich detail is bundled inside a single card.
