Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Mudwagon / Stagecoach, c. 1880 |
Object Name |
Stagecoach |
Description |
Mudwagon / Stagecoach, c. 1880. Fully restored mud wagon is painted red with white canvas top, gray cloth cushioned seats and black leather sides to front luggage compartment. Carriage was completely reupholstered in period brown leather for 2012 gallery renovation. An additional back luggage compartment is comprised of five wooden posts mounted to a hinge at base of carriage and hung open by two chains. Wooden carriage is painted red with yellow 16-spoke wheels, the back of which are larger than the font, and a yellow painted horse tree. Interior has three bench seats and there is a divided bench seat in front for driver and person riding shotgun. It has a canvas top over bows and canvas curtains. The sides are cut down for access to the three seats inside. Maker: Unknown, American, possibly Abbot –Downing Company, Concord, NH. Part of the San Mateo County Historical Association's carriage collection. |
Date |
c. 1880 |
Creator |
Unknown |
Role |
Manufacturer |
Catalog Number |
2007.030 |
Dimensions |
H-91 W-63.5 D-133 inches |
Collection |
3D - Land Transportation Tools & Equipment |
Inscription Text |
N/A |
Provenance |
Mudwagon Stagecoach used on the La Honda Line in San Mateo County used as an nteractive exhibit at the San Mateo County History Museum where visitors are allowed to climb inside. The mud wagons functioned east/west lines in our County and did not compete with the Concords. There was mud wagon service to the Coast as late as 1910. |
Notes |
A variety of vehicles were made for public overland travel. Among them were the Hack Passenger Wagon and the Dougherty Spring Wagon, the latter having a canvas top over bows and forward facing seats. Most of these were suspended on thoroughbraces which were easier to repair than steel springs. They also featured sturdy triple reaches connecting the axles. Without records, the exact name for this vehicle is uncertain but it was designed to perform as a stage coach to transport passengers between destinations, traveling in "stages" to change teams of horses. It has a canvas top over bows and canvas curtains. The sides are cut down for access to the three seats inside. Most of these vehicles were made on the East Coast by firms such as Abbott-Downing Company. Abbot - Downing’s history began in 1827 in Concord, NH with the partnership of Lewis Downing (1792-1873) and John Stephens Abbot (1805-1871). Lewis Downing was a wheelwright. He moved to Concord in 1813 and hired John Stephens Abbot from Salem, MA in 1826 to make coach bodies. They built their reputation on making sturdy public coaches that were suspended on thick leather thorough-braces. These not only contributed to the comfort of the passengers but were easier to repair than steel springs for traveling great distances. Three heavy reaches connecting the front and rear axles contributed to the strength of the undercarriage. It has a luggage rack on the back and its original drop pole. It is restored with a red body and yellow undercarriage. During its various manifestations, the company made a variety of vehicles but their reputation was built on their improved stage coaches that were built to accommodate six, nine or twelve passengers. There were different types of coaches, from light six passenger coaches to sumptuous hotel coaches to heavy western types designed for overland travel. The thick leather thoroughbraces they used were better-suited for long distances than other suspension systems. Thoroughbraces were described by R.P.H. Vail in "Along the Hudson in Stage-Coach Days" published in The Outlook, Vol. 80, 1905 as "swinging easily on strong leathern straps and with comfortable seats on top and within." (p 492) (For further information on California Stage Coaches: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25449) [Carriage Consultant Merri Ferrell 8/2021] Mud wagons were the first stagecoaches in San Mateo County. Having tops and sides covered with canvas, the mud wagon traveled on bad roads that heavier vehicles could not. As roads on the Peninsula improved, Concord Coaches appeared. With hard sides and tops, passengers had a more comfortable ride in the larger and more elaborate vehicle. Wells Fargo bought hundreds of Abbot and Downing Concord Coaches for use in the West. [SMCHA 8/5/2012] |
Search Terms |
Carriage La Honda Stage Lines Stagecoaches Transportation Transportation Technology Wagon |
Subjects |
Stagecoaches Transportation |
Credit line |
SMCHA Collection |