Chapter II: Part 2

The concord wagon was the name given to this type of vehicle, although companies other than the Concord, New Hampshire firm of Downing and Abbot manufactured them. In 1813 Lewis Downing started building vehicles in Concord. He formed a partnership with Stephen Abbot, which was later dissolved. Abbot continued manufacturing vehicles and later a new company, Abbot-Downing Company of Concord, New Hampshire was formed. Stage coaches, mountain wagons, horse-drawn barges, even horse-drawn street railway cars were manufactured at the Abbot-Downing shops over the years.

_Gift of Mr. W. B. Hill, Tilton, New Hampshire_

PLEASURE WAGON

_Green, red wheels, picked out with black._

This vehicle, with its light green acorn stencilled pattern, is one of the oldest carriages in this collection. It was licensed in 1815 in Vergennes, Vermont by Beldon Seymour. It is of hand construction and follows the principles of early framing with the use of mortising and pegging the parts together.

This carriage transported President James Monroe during his tour of the Northern States in July of 1817, and Commodore MacDonough of Lake Champlain fame was also a passenger in this vehicle that year.

In 1888 Mr. Sheldon of Middlebury purchased this wagon from a Mr. Kellogg for $45 and presented it to the Sheldon Museum.

_On loan from the Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont._

CANADIAN CALÈCHE

_Body painted black; red and yellow striping; light grey wheels.
Trimming: beige broadcloth with beige lace._

The Canadian calèche differs greatly from the French calèche, which is a four-wheeled vehicle. The body of this two-wheeled Canadian example rests upon leather braces which are suspended from C-shaped supports.

This vehicle displays an extensive use of striping for decoration, but in a restrained manner. “The variety of styles in striping are limited,” said I. D. Ware in his instructions to carriage painters in 1875, “When we discard those which lessen rather than increase the beauty of the work. We first had the fine line enlivened by being dotted at the ends of each stripe ... gradually changes took place in the quantity of striping run on as the desire arose for gaudy colors. Modest and retiring colors were in great measure abandoned, ushering in straw, orange, red and crimson and these were followed and accompanied with a perfect shower of gold leaf.”

MOUNTAIN WAGON

_Body painted very dark green, striped in red; gear black. Trimmed in
black leather._

This mountain wagon was originally owned by the Mount Pleasant Hotel up in the Crawford Notch, New Hampshire. At the turn of the century, these elegant resort hotels in the White mountains used these wagons to take their guests to the summit where an elaborate picnic lunch was served to them.

Note the hand brake--it is exceptionally sturdy, for one of these vehicles carrying its full quota of passengers weighed a considerable amount, and checking the rate of descent of the steep mountain roads was somewhat of a problem. This vehicle was built by the Abbot-Downing Company of Concord, New Hampshire.

BARGE

_Green and yellow body, yellow gear. Lettering_ LADY
OXFORD _in straw color shadow-outlined in red (recently
repainted)_.

Mr. Jabez W. Peterson, 75 years old in 1954, was the driver of this barge from 1908 to 1918 when it carried passengers to the Brant Rock Beach section from the Marshfield, Massachusetts depot. The barge was built in Concord, New Hampshire by the Abbot-Downing Company and was one of 6 or 8 that regularly plied the beach circuit. Baggage was carried free, and the income from this barge, according to Mr. Peterson amounted to $1,000 in one month at 35¢ fares. Three or four trips were made every day, including Sunday. Sam and John, Genevera and Pete, four sorrel horses with white manes and tails, pulled the LADY OXFORD.

“I drove that barge in all the parades,” said Mr. Peterson, “and carried the bands, Grand Army men, etc. All these older men have passed on, and I believe I am the only one left that would remember about that barge.”

SCHROON LAKE CONCORD COACH

_Body painted yellow with orange trim. Interior is russet leather._

The Concord coaches have become a more familiar sight, perhaps, to the youngsters of today than to their parents, for television with its Wild West movies has made the Concord the trademark of the west.

The opening of the gold fields in California--the Comstock Lode, the Nevada silver camps--the famous Wells Fargo saga--all these were made possible because of the Concord coach. The men who drove the coaches and their exploits have become the folklore of America.

Until the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the two choices open to a traveller to the west were the long and arduous voyage by sea around the Cape of Good Hope or the equally dangerous trip by stagecoach over the towering mountains and down precipitous grades. Rigid time schedules were maintained; the six horses used on many of the stages were pushed to their capacity, and the drivers who trekked over the Sierra Nevada made the Placerville grade the busiest thoroughfare west of the Rockies. Dozens of Concord coaches rolled on daily schedules and scaled the heights of 7200 feet as a matter of course.

The Concord was of the same body form as the oldtime English coaches of the 18th century. The two lengthwise “thorough-braces” fashioned of several strips of leather stitched together, absorbed some of the shock. The body hung on these braces with the driver’s seat high in front and an integral part of the coach. Inside there was room for 9 passengers (though often more were crowded in) and the capacity of the coaches was 4,000 lbs. The bodies were rounded and smoothly curved with drop windows and painted decorations of eagles, scrolls and pastoral scenes. Curtains and upholstery were most often of russet leather.

There was another version of the Concord coach--similar in appearance, but specifically designed for the Eastern part of the United States and of lighter construction. These coaches were the connecting links to the railroads until a surprisingly recent time. Such a model is the one illustrated below. It was operated by Waddel & Emerson and ran between the railroad station at Riverside, New York, and the steamboat landing on Schroon Lake, near Pottersville. From there, passengers took the steamer _Evelyn_ to the village of Schroon at the head of the lake or intermediate points.

CONCORD MUD WAGON

_Body painted Indian red, remnants of yellow paint on gear._

This type Concord, known as the California mud wagon or poor man’s Concord, incorporated the same principles of construction found in the finer Concords, but the joinery was done in a simpler manner and the body was shaped with flat sides instead of the egg shape of the regular Concords.

This mud wagon was used in Herkimer County, New York and was probably built by Abbot and Downing, for it is identical with their style number 208.

HIGHLAND & ALPINE HOUSE CONCORD COACH

_Red with gold and black trim; interior is heavy crimson mohair._

This coach, completed April 5, 1852, was used by the Highland and Alpine hotels in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

In blurred pencil markings on the inside door where the lining has fallen away can still be seen the names of the men who worked on this coach--John L. French, wheelwright; William L. Pearson, trimmer; John Bergum, painter.

Great care was lavished on the painting of the scrolls, striping and decorative scenes on the door panels. Customers usually had definite ideas as to what they wanted--“ornament up rich and tasty,” “flowers and nice landscapes on doors;” “put eagle,” “on the other door a female figure,” “on the door Pharaoh’s horses,” “a lady on horseback;” “Queen Victoria” (this for a stage line in Nova Scotia, Canada); “a coach and horses painted in the road,” “horses on one door and dogs on the other”--These specifications appear on the old order forms in the archives of the New Hampshire Historical Society.

_Bibliography_

ADAMS, WILLIAM BRIDGES, English Pleasure Carriages, London,
England 1837

BEAUFORT, DUKE OF, Driving, Badminton Series, London, England
1889

BELLOC, HILAIRE, Highway and its Vehicles, London, England 1926

BURGESS, JAMES W., Practical Treatise on Coach Building, London,
England 1881

DOWNING, PAUL H., Carriage Gallery at the New York Historical
Society, New York Historical Society Quarterly, October 1950

EARLE, ALICE MORSE, Stage Coach and Tavern Days, New York 1900

FELTON, WILLIAM, A Treatise on Carriages, London, England 1796

FITZGERALD, WM. N., Carriage Trimmers’ Manual and Guide Book and
Illustrated Technical Dictionary, New York 1881

GARLAND, JAMES A., The Private Stable, Boston, Massachusetts 1903

GILBEY, SIR WALTER, Modern Carriages, London, England 1905

HOWLETT, E., Driving Lessons, New York 1894

HUNT, ELMER MUNSON, Abbot-Downing and the Concord Coach,
Historical New Hampshire Quarterly 1945

KNIGHT, CAPT. C. MORLEY, Hints on Driving, London, England 1895

LENE, La Sellerie Français et Étrangère, Paris, France 1878

MCCAUSLAND, HUGH, The English Carriage, London, England 1948

MITCHELL, EDWIN VALENTINE, Horse and Buggy Age in New England,
New York 1937

MOSEMANS’, Illustrated Guide for Purchasers of Horse Furnishing
Goods, etc. New York, no date--about 1890

RITTENHOUSE, JACK D., American Horse-drawn Vehicles, Los
Angeles, Calif. 1948

ROGERS, FAIRMAN, A Manual of Coaching, Philadelphia, Pa. 1900

THROM, EDWARD L., Popular Mechanics Picture History of American
Transportation, New York 1952

UNDERHILL, FRANCIS T., Driving for Pleasure, New York 1896

WALL, MARGARET V., Carriage House of the Suffolk Museum at Stony
Brook, Long Island, New York 1954

WARE, FRANCIS M., Driving, New York 1903

WARE, I. D., Coach-makers’ Illustrated Handbook, Philadelphia,
Pa. 1875

* * * * *

Secondary sources--pamphlets, newspaper clippings,
correspondence, and carriage maker’s catalogs.

_Catalog of Vehicles at Shelburne Museum_

_Note_--Sleighs, commercial and farm wagons, miniatures, and fire equipment will be included in subsequent publications.

CATALOG ILLUSTRATED
NUMBER ON PAGE

V-1 ROAD CART (about 1870)
Museum collection

V-2 ONE-HORSE CHAISE (about 1830)
Built by Coach and Chaise Manufacturer, Charlestown,
Massachusetts.
On loan, Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont

V-3 CHAISE (late 18th century) 9
Museum collection

V-4 DOCTOR’S GIG (about 1800) 10
On loan, Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont

V-5 CANADIAN CALÈCHE (about 1885) 57
Museum collection

V-6 DOCTOR’S GIG (early 19th century)
Museum collection

V-7 CURTAIN ROCKAWAY (early 19th century)
On loan, Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont; gift to
them by C. Bullard of New Haven, Vermont

V-8 PLEASURE WAGON “President’s Carriage” (early 19th
century) 56
On loan, Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont

V-9 IRISH JAUNTING CAR (about 1900)
Gift of Mr. Cleveland Dodge, New York, New York

V-10 PANEL-BOOT VICTORIA (about 1895) 19
Built by Henry Hooker & Company, New Haven, Connecticut
(#1400).
Gift of Mrs. Charles E. Tilton, Tilton, New Hampshire

V-11 OCTAGON FRONT ROCKAWAY (about 1890)
Museum collection

V-12 “WICKER-SEAT” CABRIOLET (about 1865)
Museum collection

V-13 LADIES’ DRIVING PHAETON--parasol top (about 1890)
Museum collection

V-14 CUT-UNDER PHAETON (about 1890) 3
Museum collection

V-15 CURRICLE (about 1900) 8
Built by Brewster & Co., New York. Museum collection

V-16 MEADOWBROOK CART (about 1900)
Museum collection

V-17 THREE-SEAT SURREY (about 1900) 40
Museum collection

V-18 DOG CART (about 1890) 11
Built by Fred F. French and Company, Sudbury Street,
Boston, Mass.
Gift of Mr. Arthur Brown, Tilton, New Hampshire

V-19 CUT-UNDER BASKET PHAETON (about 1900) 6
Gift of Mr. Arthur Brown, Tilton, New Hampshire

V-20 PONY BUCKBOARD (about 1895)
Built by Joubert & White, Glens Falls, New York.
Gift of Mr. J. Watson Webb, Shelburne, Vt.

V-21 EXTENSION-TOP SURREY (about 1900) 41
Built by J. R. and J. H. Lockwood, Burlington, Vt.
Museum collection

V-22 COUPÉ ROCKAWAY (about 1900) 43
Built by Z. Thompson & Bros., Portland, Maine and
Kimball Brothers Company, Boston, Mass.
Museum collection

V-23 STICK-SEAT SURREY (about 1900)
Sold by Walter B. Johnson, Essex Junction, Vermont;
built by Cortland Cart and Carriage Company, Sidney,
New York.
Gift of Mrs. Edward H. Loomis, Addison, Vermont.

V-24 LEATHER TOP SURREY (about 1900)
Museum collection

V-25 ROCKAWAY (about 1885)
Built by Sargent and Company, Boston, Mass.
Gift of Fanny Allen Hospital, Burlington, Vermont

V-26 MINIATURE BROUGHAM (about 1885)
Gift of Fanny Allen Hospital, Burlington, Vt.

V-27 STICK-SEAT BUCKBOARD, “Liar’s Wagon” (about 1885)
Museum collection

V-28 GOVERNESS CART (about 1900)
Gift of Mrs. Wilfred Rhodes, St. Thomas, Jamaica

V-29 CONCORD WAGON (about 1840) 55
Built by Downing & Abbot., Concord, New Hampshire.
Gift of Mr. W. B. Hill, Tilton, New Hampshire

V-30 SKELETON WAGON (about 1870) 51
Museum collection

V-31 HANSOM CAB (about 1895) 31
Built by Hincks & Johnson, Bridgeport, Conn.
Museum collection

V-32 KENTUCKY BREAKING CART (about 1895) 54
Built by H. H. Babcock Company, Watertown, N. Y.
Gift of Dr. Stuart Orton, Rahway, New Jersey

V-33 DEPOT WAGON (about 1890) 42
Built by Horace Ervien, Ogontz, Pennsylvania.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Lippincott, Jenkintown, Pa.

V-34 SICILIAN DONKEY CART (about 1932)
Built Fabrica Carri, Montoleone, Palermo, Sicily.
Gift of Mrs. Gambrill in memory of her husband, Mr.
Richard V. N. Gambrill, Peapack, New Jersey

V-35 PONY BREAK (about 1938)
Built by Dennis Brothers, London, England.
Gift of Mrs. Gambrill in memory of her husband, Mr.
Richard V. N. Gambrill, Peapack, New Jersey

V-36 PONY DOG CART “Going-to-Cover Cart” (about 1890) 14
Built by Brewster & Co., New York.
Gift of Mrs. Gambrill in memory of her husband, Mr.
Richard V. N. Gambrill, Peapack, New Jersey

V-37 SPIDER PHAETON (about 1890) 2
Built by Muhlbacher, Paris, France.
Gift of Mrs. Gambrill in memory of her husband, Mr.
Richard V. N. Gambrill, Peapack, New Jersey

V-38 RUNABOUT (about 1900)
Gift of Mrs. Gambrill in memory of her husband, Mr.
Richard V. N. Gambrill, Peapack, New Jersey

V-39 BUCKBOARD BUGGY (about 1900)
Gift of Mrs. Gambrill in memory of her husband, Mr.
Richard V. N. Gambrill, Peapack, New Jersey

V-40 BUCKBOARD (about 1885).
Gift of Mr. Scott Lord Smith, Poughkeepsie, N. Y.

V-41 TUB CART (about 1883) 52
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-42 PONY BUCKBOARD (about 1890) 46
Built by J. B. Dubuc, Shelburne, Vermont.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-43 PONY BUCKBOARD (about 1900)
Built by Joubert & White (#1202) Glens Falls, N. Y.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-44 BUCKBOARD PHAETON (about 1895) 45
Built by Joubert & White, Glens Falls, N. Y.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-45 BUCKBOARD WITH RUMBLE SEAT (about 1900)
Built by Joubert & White, Glens Falls, N. Y.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-46 MAIL PHAETON (about 1882) 1
Built by F. S. Brown & Company, New York.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-47 SKELETON-BOOT VICTORIA (about 1904) 20
Built by Brewster & Co., New York.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-48 BERLIN (about 1890) 26
Built by Million et Guiet, Paris, France.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-49 TANDEM CART (about 1890) 12
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-50 BREAK WITH PERCH--Wagonette Break (about 1895) 38
Built by Brewster & Co., New York.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-51 CALÈCHE (about 1890) 24
Built by Million et Guiet, Paris, France.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-52 PRIVATE OMNIBUS (about 1890) 23
Built by Brewster & Co., New York.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-53 BROUGHAM (about 1890) 16
Built by Brewster & Co., New York.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-54 6-PASSENGER ROCKAWAY (about 1850) 44
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-55 VIS-À-VIS (about 1890) 22
Built by Brewster & Co. New York.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-56 GEORGE IV PHAETON (about 1882) 4
Built by Brewster & Co., New York.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-57 BUCKBOARD SURREY (about 1900)
Built by Joubert & White, Glens Falls, N. Y.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-58 NORFOLK SHOOTING CART (about 1885)
Built by Thorn Patent Norfolk Carriage Works, Norwich,
England.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-59 SLAT-SIDE SHOOTING CART (about 1895) 15
Built by Brewster & Co., New York.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

V-60 FORMAL COACH (about 1890) 29
Gift of Henry M. Tuttle Company, Bennington, Vermont,
in memory of Mr. Fred Stickles, for many years
president of that company

V-61 TRIPLE BUCKBOARD (about 1885) 49
Built in Glens Falls New York for Dr. E. D. Ferguson
of Troy, New York.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Childs, Manchester,
Vermont

V-62 DOUBLE BUCKBOARD (about 1885) 48
Gift of Mr. J. Watson Webb, Shelburne, Vt.

V-63 ROYAL SPIDER (about 1900)
Built by Flandrau & Company, New York.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Brewer, Burlington, Vt.

V-64 LADIES’ PHAETON (about 1900)
Gift of Mrs. Katherine Thayer Hobson, New York

V-65 CALÈCHE D’ENFANT (about 1825)
Built in France. Museum collection.

V-66 LANDAU (about 1885) 18
Built by Brewster & Co., New York.
Gift of Mr. Henry O. Havemeyer, Mahwah, New Jersey

V-67 MOUNTAIN WAGON (about 1890) 58
Built by Abbot-Downing Co., Concord, New Hampshire.
Museum collection

V-68 BARGE (about 1890) 59
Built by Abbot-Downing Co., Concord, New Hampshire.
Museum collection

V-69 BOTTUM BOAT WAGON (early 19th century)
Gift of Mrs. Carroll Landon, New Haven, Vermont

V-70 TUNBRIDGE PLEASURE WAGON (early 19th century)
Museum collection

V-71 ABBOTT PLEASURE WAGON (early 19th century)
Museum collection

V-72 TOP BUGGY (about 1885)
Museum collection

V-73 DICKERMAN FAMILY WAGON (early 19th century)
Museum collection

V-74 PLEASURE WAGON (early 19th century)
Museum collection

V-75 CONVERTIBLE CARRIAGE/WAGON (about 1910)
Patented “High Point Wagon” built by Briggs Carriages,
Amesbury, Massachusetts.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Brewer, Burlington,
Vermont

V-76 COACH (about 1850) 28
Museum collection

V-77 ROOF-SEAT BREAK (about 1900)
Built by Barker & Company, London, England.
Museum collection

V-78 MINIATURE PHAETON (about 1875) 7
Museum collection

V-79 CANADIAN PLEASURE CART (early 19th century)
Museum collection

V-80 EMPIRE CALÈCHE D’ENFANT (about 1810)
Built in Paris, France. Museum collection

V-81 RACING SULKY (about 1870) 50
Museum collection

V-82 SKELETON BREAK (about 1910) 37
Built by Brewster & Co., New York.
Gift of Mr. F. Ambrose Clark, Cooperstown, New York

V-83 IRISH JAUNTING CAR (about 1900) 30
Built In Dublin, Ireland.
Gift of Mr. Charles Sumner Bird, East Walpole,
Massachusetts

V-84 VIENNESE WAGON (about 1898)
Built in Vienna, Austria.
Gift of Mr. Charles Sumner Bird, East Walpole,
Massachusetts

V-85 BREAKING CART (about 1900)
Gift of Mr. Charles Sumner Bird, East Walpole, Mass.

V-86 RACING SULKY (about 1870)
Museum collection

V-87 DOCTOR’S BUGGY (about 1900)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cross, Burlington, Vt.

V-88 TOP BUGGY (about 1900)
Built by Brewster & Co., New York.
Gift of Mr. Arthur S. Lawrence, Locust Valley, New York

V-89 BUGGY (about 1870)
Gift of Mrs. Robert H. Young, S. Starksboro, Vermont

C-1 “LIBERTY” ROAD COACH (about 1900) 32
Built by Million et Guiet, Paris, France.
Gift of Mr. J. Ford Johnson, New York, N. Y.

C-2 HIGHLAND & ALPINE HOUSE CONCORD COACH (about 1852) 63
Built by Abbot-Downing Co., Concord, New Hampshire.
Museum collection

C-3 MUD WAGON (about 1875) 62
Museum collection

C-4 PARK DRAG (about 1890) 34
Built by Brewster & Co., New York.
Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W.
Seward Webb

C-5 SCHROON LAKE CONCORD COACH (about 1875) 60
Museum collection

C-6 “DEFIANCE” ROAD COACH (about 1900) 36
Built by Brewster & Co., New York.
Gift of Mrs. Gambrill in memory of her husband, Mr.
Richard V. N. Gambrill, Peapack, New Jersey

C-7 PONY ROAD COACH (about 1900)
Built by Guiet of Paris, France.
Gift of Mrs. Gambrill in memory of her husband, Mr.
Richard V. N. Gambrill, Peapack, N. J.