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Early nineteenth century stagecoach

National Postal Museum

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Object Details

Description
This is a model of a stagecoach from 1818 that would have been used on such routes. Luggage was placed in the back of the coach, mail in the back or under the driver’s seat. As a rule, the coach carried six passengers, three on each side, but an extra, central seat could be added so proprietors could pack nine people into the space.
The Post Office Department began to contract with stagecoach proprietors to carry the mail in 1785. The contracts did not specify specific types of wagons or stagecoaches, and a variety were used, depending on the proprietor, area of the country, and passenger service demands. The inns and taverns that served as stagecoach rest areas and stops often served as the area’s first post office.
Round and oval topped stages such as those represented by this model first appeared about 1817. They were common along the northeastern seaboard through the early 1830s. Proprietors would post advertisements for their routes, using the phrase 'mail stage' whenever possible to alert potential passengers to a stage line that was required to keep to its posted schedule.
1818-1830s
Object number
0.235436.1
Type
Transportation Equipment & Models
Medium
wood; leather; fiber (synthetic)
Dimensions
Height x Width x Depth: 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 12 in. (14 kg, 13.97 x 30.48 cm)
Place
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
On View
Currently on exhibit at the National Postal Museum
National Postal Museum
Topic
Transportation
Record ID
npm_0.235436.1
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8ed371f3f-eb7c-49d7-9171-ee5cbe5f8faa
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
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