^0 .^' ^""^^ H (3 1^ v^^ :> ^^ \' .»!^ .* V ^ "^ C,rP •j=^. C, vP %^^ rO^.-^^,^°o .-^^.^J^:.^^ rO^.^^%^- r> ^ ,40, <*. ' *<^^'-r^\/ %-^--/ •^^.'-.TT'-y 'bV'^ '^O^ 'bV 'S^. *» vP b vP S . .-^'^ '^^P- ../\. -■mm,' . .^'% "-'W?- ./ Stage Days in Brinifield ' HK^Vy J .3 Itr^^yi STAGE DAYS IN BRIMFIELD A CENTURY OF iMAIL AND COACH Mary Anna Tar be// Pr.c'V Copyright, 1909 by Mary Anna Tar bell v6 »yuii „, 24r):}62 SEP 2 1909 ^Z THt F. *. BASStrTE COMPANV «TEH8. SPHINQFieLD. MASSACHUSETTS THE discontinuance in September, 1907, of the stage line which for nearly 60 vears had transported the United States mails and attordeil conveyance tor passengers to and fnun liriinHeld, east and west, marked the close of an age which the survival of this line had prolonged beyond its general limits far into the modern era. The age of the stage coach, thus extended over more than a century of time, consisting of several periods, each possessing special characteristics and reasons for interest; while the line recently closed linked the old time with the present bv continuing at its beginning features of an earlier period, and reflecting toward its close the radically changed conditions of today. Naturally the line which continued this long age up to the arrival of the electric railway in BrimHeld, was not sought by travelers after the opening of the modern means of transit early in July, but the stage, suddenly deserted b\- people, continued to wind its way over the hills, looking like a relic of long ago with the cars flying past it, in faithful performance to the end of the mission intrusted to a grander predecessor in the days of stage-coach glory. With the passing of this mail route there is closed also an age of man- ners and customs relating to travel and transportation. For the South bridge and Palmer stage line, shortened to the Palmer and Fiskdale line in 1896, on the extension of the electric railway to Kiskdale, has served not only for carrying the mails and for the safe passage of countless travelers during its existence of over half a century, but also for the transportation of commodities in such variety as would form a stuily for the historian. STACK COACH DAYS 1 he sitiKirion iii HimihiKl h;is jirisciittcl ;in iiistaiux- ot the sur\i\;il of a past age in rtspict to travel and transportation in one part ot a sec- ion where neighhoring towns long have been used to modern facilities; and it also has illustrated the continuance of the past in one phase of the life of a town which in nowise has lagged behind in social usages, educa- tional and literarv interests and industrious thriit. So while the new order is being welcomed the olil ought nor to pass unnoted and unreconled, since it is important in its individual history and significant in its relation to the history of stage-coach days in general, to which there will always cling a Hne flavor of romance. It was in 1850, when (jen. Fitz-Henrv Warren, a native of Hrimfield, was assistant postmaster-general, that the mail route from I'almer to Southbridge was established, giving the people of Hrimfield the advan- tage of a daily mail from New ^ Ork before Warren or West Brookrteld had such facilities. Previous to tliat time other and longer distance stage lines transported the BrimHeld mails. In 184S a ilaih stage from Warren to Stafford carried mails to BrimHeld, but this was not a leading route in the history of such enterprises and did not support a coach and four horses. Karlier than this two grand coach routes and mail lines crossed each other in BrimHeld; one between SpringHeld and Providence and the other between Hartford and Worcester. An earlier stage line between Hartford and Worcester ran through BrimHeld, but it is not known to have been a mail route. I he great post-route from Boston to Albany lay north of BrimHeld- and mail was Hrst carried to tin town b\- messengers from that route. In 1797 the mail stage left Boston three times a week, reaching Worcester at :; a. m., BrookHeld the second day at 10 a. m., and SpringHeld at 1 p. m. Ir is not unlikeK', however, that there was connection at diffennt times between this gnat post-route and Stafford, as the miiural waters there earh' attracted rra\tlers from BosKni. The Springfield and Providence Line While the "Citizens' line of stage-coaches" between Hartford and Worcester had a brilliant career from 18 ^4 to 1839, as many as 1 1 coaches having been counted daiK, at oiu- tmu' in its existence, the S|iringHeld and Pro\idence hne, opened in l8i^, was maintained f(U' a much longer THt wKsr »ric:k school-holsk period and was of more importance in stage-coach history. Calvin Hitchcock, the veteran merchant of Ware, now in his (.)^d year, dis. tinctlv remembers seeing the tine coaches on hotli hnes, drawn by tour and sometimes by six hoises, pass over the roads. The route ot the Spring- tield and Providence Hne lay through the section where his early boyhood was passed. From .SpringtieUi the course of the stages was first to North Wilbraham, then to Monson and trom there by a circuitous way to Brim- field. Between Monson and BrimHeld the route w-ent first over the hill now c;ilkil I'.ast hill, |iasf "'I'^lder" Lyon's house on the summit ot that hill to .Abner Nichols's mill situated in the valley where the residence of Miss Boorman now stands, [hence it was northeast across a rugged incline to the old wooden school-house standing about +00 teet southeast ot the present "West brick" school-house. From the school-house it went up the " Long hill," as the "old road " was called which was discoininued about iXfio. bur whose course is now and then discerned in the woods. Mr. Hitchcock remembers watching the coaches go past the school-house when he was a boy in that school, and past the house where he then lived, known more recently as the David Parker place. On either side of the school-house the stage-route lay through a wild region of hills and ravines, torming a broken mountain- side difficult of passage, but which in recent time the achievements of state highway and electric road building have subdued by marvelous fills ami cuts, though fortunately without destroying the picturesqueness of the region. Irs romantic interest is increased by the numerous foot- paths and carr-parhs crossing the wootkd hillsides and the disused, grass- grown roads by which the people ot former generations traversed the sec- tion, trying to make improved ways ot passage. 8 STAGE COACH DAYS Such suggestive and pictures(]ue names as the "Gulf road" and the " Dungeon," by which the older people still designate localities, harmonize with the character of the region. Such difficulties of ascent to the level of Hrimfield village has this mountainside presented to modern methods of transit, that the old wav of travel has been kept up until now, and the history of a town vitalh' affected in consequence. After crossing the heart of this section and finishing the climb up the mountain, the Springfield stage found a level path through a pass in the high barriers that surround the Brimfield plateau, until it reached the Charles place; then it turned north of the present road, to go over the hill to the corner by the "Scjuire" Wales place. This was in ac- cordance with the old-time policy of stage-coach routes to mount the hills instead of going around them, because it was held that the course over the hill w^as the shorter. Afterward the philosophy of the Hrimfield far- mer who contended for the building of roads around the bases of hills came to prevail. His oft-repeated remark was, "I'll say agin as I've said afore, that the bail of a kettle is just as long standing up as it is laying down." Whenever it is noted that three roads followed the same general course between two points, it may be inferred that the one going over the highest part of a hill was built expressly for a stage-route which was intended to be an air line and which sometimes left a house that the first old road iiad wound up to in an accommodating maniur, literally "out in the lots." Of course, the earliest stages followed the oiiginal highways laid out at the settlement of towns, which went over the hills not only because the way seemed more direct, but for the sake of avoiding swamps and the bridging of streams. 1 he road built afterward around the hill and followed by the stage coaches of a later period is still called oftentimes the "new road," although it may have been built more than 50 years ago. The Hartford and Worcester Line 1 he Hartford and Worcester "C'ltr/.iiis' hni" was an enterj^nse in which various towns took great interest ami which was made a post-route by Postmaster-Cieneral Hill. The line was established b\- a corporation composed of proprietors in the various towns from Stafford to HrookHeld. An interestuig document consisting of the articles of agreement of this corporation has been found recently and depositeii in the Hrimhild public library. I he preamble reads: IN BRIMFIELD " Ihf I lukrsigiucl, Owntrs and Proprietors of" the Citizens' Line of Stage-C'oaclus that run from Hartford to Worcester through I'.Ihngton, tlo for the well ordering and managing tlie affairs of the Concern, ordain and estahhsh the following articles of agreement." The articles were signed at Stafford, Ct., Fehruary 28, 1834, and the signatures are John Ilolton, Pardon Allen, Arnold Slocum, Elisha Peniber, Benjamin Salisl)ur\', Ir., lliomas Bolton, Daniel N. Green, Samuel Smitli, (lardner (iould, John \V. L tley, Kleazer B. Draper, Kli Hortf)n, E. B. I'ratt, B. & C. Adams (hy A. Work, Attorney), Thomas Pinks & Co., Erasmus Stehhins, Iv/.ekiel Walker, Aaron Kimball, [onas Esta- brook, larnsworth & Harris, [. \l. Warren. Brimfield and Stafford have the largest representation among the signers. There are II articles, covering nine pages of a record book relatingtoorgani/ation, management, expenses and profits. I be interest in the enterprise was divided into shares of $100 each. Ilu- line was divided into five sections, and the proprietors of each siction were to choose a director for that section and hold their annual meeting on the second Monday in September. The annual meeting of all the proprietors was held on the second Mondav in October. Ilie directors of all the sections constituted the boanl of directors. Article 7 specifies the duties of the clerk, and incidentally throws much light on the business details of the line. It reads as follows: "It shall be the dut\- of the clerk to furnish the President and each Director with a true and attested Copy of the articles of agreement annu- ally, within one month alter each annual meeting of saitl Proprietors. The clerk shall at all times be sidiject to the order of the board of directors in any business relating to the management of that part of the concern in which all the Proprietors have a common Interest, such as hiring and paying Agents, Bridge Toll, Drivers through the whole line, purchasing and repairing Coaches, Sleighs, Bells, Buffalo Robes, Advertising, etc. And to see that all money as Fare is properly receipted and to see that all moniv that shall be taken at the Ends of said line is deposited safely in the Bank to the Credit of the Citizens' Line Payable to said Clerk, and who shall pay the same over to the several Directors on demand according to the Mileage of each Section, after paving the Common Stock Debts and all other common stock expenses, and it shall further be the duty of the clerk to see that the Stages are run regularly, departing from each end 10 STAGE COACH DAYS of said Line at such time as the board of Directors shall order and to regulate and see that a time Bill he printed on the back of each way Hill, and the hours of arrival and departure at each section, or Changing place be entered. It shall be the duty of the clerk to report to tin Bnard of Directors at their meetings, the amount of all Credits to saul l.iiu and debts against said line for mone\' ]iaid out on account ot expenses which shall have accrued on the Common Stock concern, and shall declare the dividend of any to each of said Sections according to their respective Mileage." Ihe clerk's compensation tor his services and all the responsibility entailed was specified as "one dollar per dav and his necessary expenses for the time he actualK' is emplo\e(l in the comjiain- business." .According to the Hiial article of agreement, no proprietor could sell his share or shares to a person not already an owner without the consent of a majoiity of the board of directors. When the variable conditions upiiii which the operation of a stage line (Upended anil thi' difficulties of corporate management of such a concern aie consi;leied, such carelul and detailed specifications as the above are not surprising. 1 In wontler is that rime scheduks could be so closeK' tolloweil and that passages were made with such safety, or that a stage-line concern could be man- aged with any degree of satisfaction. The duties, and especially the finan- cial relations, of the directors are prescriln-d in such a long antl miuLUely specified article that surely each director, while assured of his lusr dues, was confined within a straight antl narrow wa\, which ottered no means of escape into dtvious paths ot [nrsoiial privilege or private gam. In those days it is evidint that a conipaii\- took no chances with itself. It was a scrupulous age. The distance from HrimheKl to llarrtonl was calk-d 40 miles. 1 he route was divided into tour stagis or sections, about 10 miles to a stage, or "lick," with a change of horses at the end ol each stage. 1 he coaches nil tin llaillonl and Worcester Citi/eiis' line eiuered Hrimfielil b\ the present Waks road on tin ir way from Stafford, which was one ot tin- pku'cs where the horses were changed, and passed out of Hrimfiild to lirooktickl b\ Sherman pond, or (iieaf pond, as ir was then called, and through South Waiicn, which was rlun tin tliiiving business center of W am n. Mrs. J.miK \\ oods of \\ Orcestei ricalls sieing so many of these IN I) KIM FIE 1. 1) I I coachts pass tlu- old rtti school-hmist.- in rlu- Nnrtluasr liisnicr in Hriiii- ficlci. wlu-n slu- was a iliilcl at scliool rlurt.-, tliar "it sitnud almost like living in a city." This stage liiu had a ii\al and i()ni|nfitor in the "Kclipse" line, which ran through Stiirhridge, so that fares were reduced as low as $i.oo or Si. 50 hetween Hartford and Worcester. .Mention of toll charges is made in the articles of agreement of the Citizens' line, hut there were never an\- turnpike roads with tluir toll demands in Brimheld. The nearest turnpike was in Holland, over which tin- l-.clipsc line ma\- have run. A stage-coach line earlier than the Citizens' line went from Hartford to Worcester through BrimHeld, and its route, in accordance with the custom of hill climhing, was over Haynes hill from Wales to BrimHeld. 1 here is no douhr that a numinr of stage routes la\- through Hrimhehl in early times of which all knowledge has vanished, and only a \ague hint remains. In some places they have hecome sections of present highways; elsewlure they may he discovered as discarded and overgrown roads or as useful cart paths. Interest of Long Abandoned Roads An oKI road, grass-grown and forgotten, now faintly traced and now^ disappearing altogether, is invested with mingled charm and awe. Mys- tery and scenes ot the imagination together hover over it. The whole countryside has hecome a palimpsest by the tracings of the roads and paths of succeeding generations. Old stage roads possess peculiar im- pressiveness because they connected far distant places and tell of the hra\iiigof long journeys in (]Uest of new scenes and ad\entures. 1 here stands out from the dimness of supposition concerning the earliest stage routes through Brimfield the well-established tradition of a remarkable location o\er the ridge of the mountain west of the "Hol- low." In the ledge on the crest of the mountain, 1,000 feet above sea- le\el, are grooves in the solid rock which people now past middle life had pointed out to them in childhood in' their parents as having been made many years before by the wheels of stage coaches going from Boston to Hartford. .Measurements have found these grooves to correspond in distance a|iart with the width of the road which may be traced beyond. MILL POND AND MOUNTALN WEST OF THE "HOLLOW" I he wearing into the rock bed iiiav be accoiiiued for b\- the custom of chaining the wheels together in the absence of' brakes; hence in time the effects of a chiseHng process would be produced by the sliding wheels. Toward the west the road went through the Ballou woods and by the old Ballou house, once the home of a branch of the familv from which came the pioneers of the doctrine of Universalism. Forests have been cut down and have grown anew; houses have perished and their cellar holes have filled up; men have died ami their names have been forgotten; beliefs have been modihed and have taken new- forms; but the wheel ruts cut in the solid granite of the mountain have been preserved through the heat of summer and the frosts of winter in lasting witness to the intrepid and persistent spirit which littralU' cut the wav tor the prosperity of present generations. The Bugle-Heralded Coaches 1 he passing by on the country roads of the loadeil coaches drawn by four and occasionally by six horses was a great source of entertainment to the people. The driver would wind a bugle — an art which was prac- ticed for musical effect — as the coach approached the village, to announce that it was Hearing the hotel, so that a relay of horses should be made IN r.KIMFIKI.I) 13 HOMK OF WILLIAM JANLS n';ul\' ;iii(l rlu- unuard p;is- sagf clihn fcl ;is I ir t U- as possible. 1 lu- liuijli- was played wirli Lsptcial skill li\ certain ciruers, and its notis were particularlvcHectivc- mi a still morning, at first faintly Heard in tlu' tlistancr, and growing loiukr and clearer as the stage rolled grandly in. Both the Springfield and Providence and the llarttord and Worcester lines changed horses at the Brinifield hotel, and a large nuniinr were kejit thire tor rela\s. It a coach arnveil ahoiir noon the driver and passengers would dine at the hotel while the horses were ted. Drivers took a proper pride in the appearance ot their horses as well as in teats ot rein-handling and the turning ot tinecur\es. The late William janes, who passed his entire lite in the (]uaint house next to the hotel, distinctly recalls the gay and exciting scenes attending thi' arrnal and de|)arture ot the stage coaches. One driver between Springtield and Providence, Frank Call, who prided himself on his skill as a reinsman, would come in with every horse on the jump and cut a marvelous circle in the hotel scpiare. He also phned the bugle well. Dana Scripture was a distinguished driver between Hartford and Worcester and added to his teats in driving unusual thoroughness in the care of his horses. He would demand the spending ot an hour daily in grooming each horse so that its coat would not soil a white silk hand- kerchief. "They shone so you could see your face in them," is said ot Dana Scripture's horses. Stage horses knew well their driver and his tricks and specialties, and they learned the roads well. This is illustrated by an incident on the Hartford and Worcester line. On the road near Stafford there lay a hollow between two hills, down the first of which a certain driver was accustomed to run his horses to get up speed tor the approaching ascent. One day a substitute driver was on, and not being initiated, was stricken with terror by this performance over which he had no control, supposing coach and contents were on their way to destruc- tion. " Hut the horses knew," said the relator of this story. 14 STAGE COACH DAYS Grandeur of the Old Stage Drivers Stage drivers wcrt mt-n of ;iliilit\' and luld an importance all rluir own. They had to be skilful not only in the handling of horses but of people. They had keen practical sense for every emergency and con- stantl\- increasing intelligence concerning matters ot general interest. To forbearance and good nature must be added sympathy for, and in- terest in, people. Not only were they directly responsible for their load nt human beuigs, biu rhe\ accepted a responsibiht\' for tlupinjile through whose borders they passed, carrying to them news and messages and parcels with ever a word of good cheer. As his reward the able stage driver was like a ]Mince driving his coach and four through his own domains, and no mean privilege must it have been for the traveler to mount the steps to the coach's door and share in the glory of the grand equipage. I'roud indeed was the small bo\' who saw a big copper cent spin down to him from the fingers of the lordly driver, and off in a trice came his cap as he stared awe-struck at the loaded coach drawn by four white horses sweeping grandly on. Among the drivers between Hartford and Worcester, Dana Scripture, Dwight Johnson, Frank Johnson and Valentine Bond are recalled. Stage dri\ers of unusual ability became conductors on the railroads when they were opened. Arba Hyde of Stafford, now remembered as the veteran conductor on the Boston and Albany railroad, was once a stage driver and for a time ofhciated on the line from Stafford to Warren through Brimfield. We think of stage-coaching m the days of its glory as invested with romantic interest, without considiring wh\ this custom of transit de- veloped to such a height of favor and patronage for a certain period, so that from h to lo coaches loaded inside and out passed daily through Brimfield. It did not need a coach and four horses to carr\' the handfuls of mail, and the busy people did not spend much of their time in journey- ing to visit distant friends. W'hen the matter is looked into we find that the great devilopnunt of stage-coach travel in the second (|uarter of the last century was caused by the evolution of machinery and the establish- ment of manufactories, and also, near the middle of the century, b\ the building of railroads which called for connecting mutes across country. Most of the passingers who filled the coacbts and those whose tall beaver IN BRIMFIHLD hats niadf tlit- load on top so conspicuous and imposing, were business men rolling as rapidly as this method of travel would permit from one manufacturing town to another and making rluir wav to Boston and New "^'ork, the leading commercial centers. The fact that water-power had been so extensively developed in the section between Brimfield and Providence gave especial importance to the Springfield and Providence stage line as a means of travel. Ihis line also appears to have been the principal reliance for mail transporta- tion for at least 20 years. The exact time of the discontinuance of the Springfield and Providence line has not been ascertained, but it was prob- ably between 1844 and 1848. The line was in operation after the com- pletion of the Western railroad as far as Springfield, as a register used at the Springfield hotel — afterward the Exchange hotel — contains an entry of stage passengers for Providence on the last page of the book under date of 1840. As the Worcester and Providence railroad was not in- corporated until 1844, it is probable that the stage line in (]uestion carried mail from Springfield to Providence for some years after that. If the mail- carrying contract was made in 1823, the year the line was opened, and was renewed every fourth year the service might have been maintained until 1847. It is known that a mail team was running in 1848 between Stafford and Warren through Brimfield, and this route may have been maintained during a short interim between the discontinuance of the Springfield and Providence line and the opening in 1850 of its successor, the Palmer and Southbridge line, which followed the same course through Brniifield and Southbridge. Postmasters and Mail Service 1 he Springfield and Providence may have been the earliest long- distance post-route of which Brimfield had the benefit, although the town had a post-office in 1806, the year after the earliest post-oflice between Worcester and Springfield was established at Brookfield. It was from the Brookfield office, situated on the grand jiost-route from Boston to Albany, that the mail was at first carried once a week to Brimfield, and there is no knowledge concerning the transportation of mail by the early Hartford and Worcester stage-coach line. When the weekly newspapers came to be eagerly anticipated, special messengers were hired to carry them to Brimfield from Warren where the stages had left them. The people of llollantl ami Wales obtaiiucl their mail from the Brimfield office. I 6 STAGE COACH DAYS I lif first piistmastir in l^ninfirlci was "Sijuir-" Stt-plicii I'xnchon. The pest-office was kept at Squire Pynchon's house, and tor a good many years a box tw-o teet square was large enough to hold all the mail. .\lar(]uis Converse was the second postmaster, receiving his appointment February 19, 1823, — the year the Springfield and Providence line was opened — and the office was kept in the hall ot his house, now the home of Charles S. Tarbell. \'er\' little space at the toot ot the stairs was needed tor this purpose, as the bulk ot mail was still small. The next postmaster is said to have been Porter Wales, who kept the office at his place of business, the old 'Corner store." At this time borh stage lines, the Springfield and Providence and the Hart.'ord and Worcester, were in operation, the first-named entering town by the Palmer road and the other b\' the Wales road, and thus intersecting at the corner store. Otis Lane succeeded Mr. Wales in business and as postmaster, receiving his ap- pointment in 1842. Dr. Asa Lincoln followed Otis Lane as postmaster, serving trom 184.5 '^" '850, and he is said to have kept the office at Ebe- nezer Williams's store, which occupied an extension of the house now- belonging to Mrs. John W. Morgan. Henry 1*. Brown, the next post- master, was landlord ot the Hrimfield hotel trom 1S50 to 1S52 and kept the post-office at the hotel where the Palmer and Southbridge stage stopped with the mail on its first trip. Mr. Brown's successor was George C. Homer, u ho continued to keep the post-office in the hotel. Nathan K. Robinson, appointed postmaster in 1853, kept the office in the dwelling now occupied by Dr. Sawin. in May, 1861, the stage as mail carrier again made the hotel its stopping jilace, as Silas C. Herring, wtm hail made over the old hotel into a beautitui structure, was appointed post- master that V*-'"' '"I'l kept the office in a room especially designed tor it in the remodeled building. In 1867 the post-office was moved into a com- modious room |)ro\ uled tor it b\' an extension ot the oKl corner store, then owned b\' )ames 1. Brown. Ilenr\ I'. Brown ncemd his stcond appointment as postmaster that \car, and st r\ ed rill iSSi, wlucli niaili' .Mr. Brown's entire ser\ice of 16 years longer than that of an\' other postmaster. John |- . Comtrse, who had bought the store, was appointed postmaster in i8Si,aiul lloratio L. Coiuirse, appointed in iSSS, kept tin office in the same placi- until [uK', iS(;2. 1 bus the stagis throughout the entire histor\ of mail routes in Brimfie Id sto])|U(l at rlu- coriur store ARRU Ai. OK THE COACH AT THE CORNER STORE through a longer (hirati m ot' tiiiu' than at am [)rirr()r who gave riu- line its early disrinction, although he may not have been tlu first nwiu r; while he also made it a mail route. Captain Dewey was a man of iiukIi business ability, directed especially in the interests of the traveling puhiu. He had previously opened two hotels in Palmer, and srartrd a stage line from .Stafiord to Palmer, whiih IN HRIMFIKI.D IQ he extended to Ware and Uarre in 1S50, about the time he owiud rhe Vme from Pahiier to Southhridge. 1 he last-mentioned route was from the railroad station and post-office at Pahiier " Depot " through Brimheld and Sturbridge to the post-office at Southhridge. Until the opening of the New England railroad to Southhridge in 1866 the mail was carried from that town to Wehster and Charlton hv stages. Captain Dewey put on to the Southhridge line a large splendid coach, one of the best ever used on the stage routes, drawn by tour fine horses, all making a grand appear, ance. This was a thorough-brace Concord coach of the style built first in 1827 in Concord, N. H., and which has been called "the only perfect passenger vehicle for traveling that has ever been built." The same style of stage continued to be used until the latter part of the history of the line when constantly decreasing patronage, owing to changed conditions of business and travel, caused the large coach with its four, and occasionally six, horses to be reduced to a small one drawn by only two horses, and finally to give way to a humble, plain covered wagon without pretension to beauty, nor always to comfort. The importance of the stage of the original schedule was also reduced by the addition of an extra mail wagon daily over the same route. The length of the Palmer and Southhridge route was 1 8 miles, which Brimheld divided into two stages, the horses being always changed there when the large coaches were in use. Among the drivers of the early period were Andrew L. Holt, a Mr. Pebbles, Valentine Hond, Addison Bradley, Reuben Underwood, Chaun- cey Olds, Frank Angel, Austin Shepard, "Jake" Barton, Perlin Turner, Salem Welds, Andrew Hooker, Dwight Johnson, "Jake" Haywood, James Madigan and Samuel Gould. Andrew Holt, who is now living in \\ orcester and is 86 years old, drove Captain Dewey's stage on its first trip. Mr. Pebbles was the first regular driver, but Mr. Holt, who often substituted on various lines because of his experience and skill in the art of stage-driving, was employed to instruct Pebbles for two weeks. Mr. Holt describes Captain Dewey's grand turnout on its Hrst appearance as drawn by four beautiful dapple-gray horses with long wavy manes and tails, and the coach as large enough to hold twelve passengers inside. Mr. Holt's reminiscences of stage-coach days from rhe time that he commenced driving between Springfield and Palmer in his fourteenth year would form an interesting chapter. THE AFTKRiNOON COACH ON THE PLAIN "X'al" Bond, who iistd to polish Dana Scripture's horsts, is said to have introduced the hiijfle on this line. Mr. Bradley hecame a high sheriH. Mr. l^nderwood had athletic powers, and the story is told that he could stand on the ground and )ump (i\tr a Ikusi- with one spring. Irank Angel is now living in \\ ilhrahani anti is a veteran ot the Ci\ il war. Salem Welds was an owner and skilful driver. " Perl" Turner is one of the earh' drivers who are hest reiiunihered. .Afterwards came Walter C'laHin, I), v.. Burterwiirth, Kdwiii Streitir, Otis C'olnirn and Needham -Moulton. "Sam" ("lould was the owiiir and driver with whom the Soutlihridge and I'alnier stage is espccialh ideiitiheil in the memories of mam |Hople. i'.dwin Streeier was tiu' druer who escaped with a broken leg wiieii a wheel came ofl the stage as it was going down a lull n the Sturhridge road, — an acculint which fornur school pupils who were ( n ihi- stagi' ncall with wdiulei thai tliiir Inis were spared. < )wiurs besides those mentioned were, Silas C". i lirring, W alter Claflin, |. Wells Draper, .Amos Munnu- and 1). I.\(rttt Hutti rworfb ; and owners and dri\irs later on wen-, Abraham I'rospir. |ames ( !i-orgi- and Sons and W . C". Kenyon and Sons, the last-named being the owners when the line was discontinued. )ames (leorge and his sons, Walter, (leorge and llirbert, as drivers co\eit(l a period of about twelve years. The r"i llJlTiii THK HOTKL OK sta<;k-c:oa(:h days WAITINC; FOR THE PASSENGERS 22 STACH COACH DAYS Kenyon brothers and Harry Thompson were youthful drivers during the hist of the stage's career. I o the last name belongs the distinction of closing the list which it is impossible to give in its completeness. Although the conveyance, as well as the line, received its name from the terminal points of the route, its importance belonged especially to Brimfield life, and in the associations of people it chieHv figures as the " Brimfield stage," inseparably connected with memories of that town. It was interwoven with the life of a people peculiarly dependent upon it, and with the interests of friends outside the town. Cherished sentiments are revived by recollections of the Brimfield stage. Perhaps the most characteristic of these associations calls up the imposing figure of the genial host and type of the old-time landlord, Uncle Amos Munroe, standing on the porch of the Brimfield hotel to greet arriving guests or wave a farewell to those departing. And joined with this is the memory of the motherly hostess, Mrs. Munroe, offering in summer to the thirsty traveler a cup of cold water, or in winter leading the way to her cozy sitting-room. The arrival of the afternoon stage at the post-office where old and young had congregated in eager anticipation of its coming, and the dis- tribution of the mail it bore, made that place the exciting social center of the otherwise sleepy village. Boys and Girls of the Hitchcock School The history of the Southbridge and Palmer stage is closely related to that of the Hitchcock Free Academy, since it furnished daily transpor- tation for jMipils troiii file time of the establishment of the school in 11^55. At one time about 20 pupils from Southbridge, Sturbridge, I'lskdale and ?,ast Brimfield well-nigh took possession of the coach, which, arriving at nine o'clock, would unload before the school \ard a subdued company of boys and girls weighed down with books and dinner baskets, and return- ing at four o'clock, received a hilarious crowd, plunging inside and clam- bering to tilt fop. Should the school's program be disturluil In changes in the stage's schedule or irregularity in its time, all deference was paid to the situation; for the arrival and departure of the "stage scholars" received the respect due to recognized iinporraiice. Also in tin- village these occurrences were two notable events of tin- day. It was troni the m n u 'iiis' THE 0RK;INAL building of the HITCHCOCK FREE CiRAMMAR SCHOOL THE PRESENT HITCHCOCK FREE ACADEMY 24 STAGE COACH DAYS li)acifd coach at the beginning ot the year that teachers and pupils ob- tained their Hrst impressions of the place which was to be the scene of their labors and activities, and it was the coach that bore them impres- sively away, waving their farewells to those who turned with reluctant steps to the lonely pursuits of a deserted village. The Simple Worshiper of the Stage Coach No sroi\' of the Hrimfield stage woukl be coniiilete without nuiitioii of the Hrimfield character to whom, throughout his life, the stage repre- sented the glory of the world and the joy of existence. In his boyhood days the horses were changed at his father's barn, and the sense of pro- prietary interest then begun, humored by good-natured drivers, strength- ened as he grew to the age of manhood but still retained the mind of a child. 1 he driver was ever his liege lord, and the privilege of helpintj with horses, or trunks, was no less an honor than to belong to a royal retinue. Indeed, there was summed up in this regard the importance, the romaiuH- and the grandeur with which the stage coach in all its his- tory has been invested, — a tribute both to the (juality of the object so esteemed and to the capacity for admiration and honor common to man- kind in all stages of development. And as the years went by and his figure became a picturesque landmark, softened by the pathetic grace of age, these who knew his story thought with reverence of that loyalty and devotion which, though less ardently manifested with the decline of life and the decay of the stage's grantleiir, never to the vnd suffered surrender or betrayal. As the i'almer and Southbridge mail route had branches from the BrimHeld post-( ffice to tlnise of Wales and Holland, the scene of the arrival of the stage in Brimheld included the mail wagons from those places patiently awaiting the mail bags, ami taking in the passengers who had descended from the coach to journey still farther over country roads whatever the weather or traveling. These mail wagons of various styles through the years also conveyed many pupils to and from the Academy. .Among the drivers of the Wales mail team, an original char- acter, Darwin or " l)ar" Shaw, is especially remembered for his long and faithful service. 1 here are many old scholars who rode with him who recall his kindness as well as his white horse, and are sorrier now than they were then for the lameness which in his latir life imprisoned him in the wagon as he waited for his lively passengers. IN BRIMFIELD Transverse Lines \\ hill- rlu- liirct-tinn of tin- lonmst inainraiiud ami must iiiiporraiu staf^c routes tlinnif;;!! lirimtitltl was cast and west — the Spiingheld and Providence and tlie I'alnur and Soutlibridge lines together tastinfj about 80 V't'ars — there were a nundnr of transverse lines throuiih the town at different times. In earl\' days these routes were through Briniheld to HrookHeld,or through that town to Worcester, and to Warren. The last of these transverse lines was established between Wales and West Warren by Samuel (lould in .April, 1874, and continued till .March, 1877. I he drivers were Mr. Kendall, Charles Craft, Needham Moulton and Dwight iiarnes. Charles Ihompson bought the line of Mr. (Jould and changed the route so that it connected with the Boston and Albany railroad at Palmer instead of West Warren. Succeeding owners were William Preston, John W. Draper, D. Everett liutterworth, John I.iinibard, Prank Traverse, Mr. Dalrvmple, Jason Palmer and George Dimmick. It is with Mr. Dimmick, who was owner and driver from 1887 to iqoo, that the Wales stage, as it was called, is principally identified. Leaving BrimHeld at the early hour of b.^o and returning in the evening, it gave the opportunity of spending an entire day at the county seat, or even ot a flight to Boston with the |iossibility of returning to the hill eyrie at a seasonable time before the ringing of the curfew. Scenes of the Southbridge and Palmer Route Throughout its course of 18 miles the route that was followetl b\ the Southbridge and Palmer stage is one of unusual interest, lying through a succession of scenes that form a remarkably complete representation of New England landscape and life. Nature in her tliversity shows all varieties of scenery. Two beautiful rivers, both perpetuating Indian names, the (^uinabaug and (^uaboag, are distinctive features of the land- scape in the western and eastern parts of the route. Broad grein meatlows, fertile Helds and stretches of plain combine with wooded hills, rugged ledges and the forest solitudes. Ihere are winding brooks in the mead- ows and rushing streamlets through wdd ra\ ines. 1 here are broad and inspiring views of near and distant hills. Here are the homesteads of well-tilled farms and close at hand Nature in her untamed and lonely aspect reigns. THE WALES STAGE WHEN OWNED BY GEORGE DIMMICK FOSKETT'S MILLS IN BRIMFIELD •/ On its morning nip the sragc-, having passed through the long street of the hiisv mill village of I'iskclale, left hehind the whirr of" machinerv to pursue Its course along the jieacelul meatlows ol the (^uinahaug; then if runu-d aside to rhi- post-office of Kast BriniHeld, going past the little ludwn ehureh .md ilowii the road between the two rows of neat dwell- ings, where as in oKim tuni's a single industr\' on the river's hank atiords occupation for a homogeneous neighborhood. After the stage had saf'el\- made rlu tlescent of " lireakneck " hill, |iassed through Hrimfielil village and across the "plain," and rolled swifth' down the Hrimfield mountain or "long hill," it drew up to " Foskett's mill" to receive a tiny mail-bag and refresh the horses with drafts of clear spring water from tin hills. Ihough [lassengers could sometimes hear the noise of the mill- stone turned by the water of historic I'Jbow brook, grinding the farmers" corn, the old-time grist-mill had caught the spirit of new enterprise through the western ga|i and become a thrift\' gram mart to suppK the net-ds of the section from distant and richer Helds. 1 he picturesfiuely-set cluster of Foskitt's mill and near-by houses marked the transition from the wild, mountainous region to the level stretches of the (^uahoag \alK\ with its fertile farms, varied activities and connection with the world. lo the occupants of the old-fashioned stage-coach a new region opened ahead — e\en the bortlers of the widi- world; for, in the near distance, poured the smoke of the locomotive, and the swiftly rushing train, an unwonted sight ami thrilling to behold, swept into clear view. Behind and be\'ond the mountain were the (piitr lifi- and the calm and rhouglutul pursuits continued from the past; before and stretching far onward were flu- scenes and the interists of the modern world and the new age. Characteristics of Towns and Villages rile towns aiul villages of the loufe are t\ jhs characteristic of New I nglaiid. I'alnui "Depot," when Captain l)ewe\'s first stage-coach started out, had just come into existence with its score or more of iiou.ses set in the green fields. It was the creation of a junction of railroads, and tlu' stages of later wars jiassed along the main street of a bustling business center, the seat of trade for the countrv-side and near-by niill villages. Southbridge, at the other end of the route, illustrates the marvelous growth and transformation that so man\ fowns have experienced through the ilevelopment of power manutacrurini:. In the half-century of their arrival THE BRIMFIELD CHURCH ^'■^' /^■^: ^^^mm MW|ijwi«3iiii "^s^" SIITm -A THK GEN. EATON MANSION FROM THE LONG HILL TO THE QUABOAG VALLEY and dtp. lit lire the stages u itntsst-d flu- di\ tlopnunr of prospcritv through a grtat varittv of important indiistrits and also saw a town of less than 3000 inhabitants of pure New Kngland stock (|uadriiplcd bv the addition of people of other nationalities. Stiirbridge and Brimfield represent the preservation of the perfect type of the old New Kngland town, holding unchanged the spirit of the past with its dignity and repose. Their scenes to wliK'li the stage-coach was fittingK' related, have remained essentially unchanged, ^'ear in and year out the stages passed along the beautiful village green and under the overarching trees, by the well-kept and (juaint dwellings, with now and then a stately mansion, of each of these sister towns, the white spire of the church of the fathers rightly set on a hill overlooking the way and dominating the scene. In its latter days the stage witnessed a new manifestation of the continuing welfare and inward progress of these old towns, in spite of the arrest of their outward growth, in their public libraries, beautiful, characteristic, impressive, uniting the past with the pnsent as memorials, and perpetuating and enlarging the interists and ideals of former generations. The Long Hill Road The passage of the Long Hill road, which winding for a mile climbed ttie ascent of the rough mountainside that lifted from the Q_uaboag valley to the level of the HrimHeld plateau, was the distinctive feature of the route between Palmer and Brimfield. A long mile indeed seemed the ascent. I he descent was speedy and sometimes exciting; but in spite THE APPROACH TO THE VILLAGE of the absence of brakes in the earher years, and the fact that drivers were in the habit of taking loads ot 20 passengers at full speed down the hill, no acciileiit ever occurred. The only approach to catastrophe was when the load was light and a lone passenger suffered violent contacts of Sunday bonnet or beaver hat with the roof of the stage, as the vehicle bounded over the " fhank-you-nia'anis " or water bars with winch the road was generously provided. 1 he driver, while duly conscious ot his responsibility tor lite and limb, scorned to consider the danger of injured headgear or wounded pride, even it he did not sonutinies take a little wicked pleasure in exercising his command of the situation. There was real peril in winter, however, on a section ot the first "old road" between tlu- "plastered house" and the school-house, when it was ic\'. 1 hen the heavily-loaded coach descending the ice-coated road was in danger of sliding off into the ravine below. At such times a pair of oxen was kept in readiness to In- hitched b\' the \i)ke to the hind axle ot the coach while the owner ot the oxen by a dexterous wielding of his whip would skilfully manage this curious combination of brake and rudder until the descent was safely accom|ilislu-d. \ morning rule m siimnur down the l-ong Hill gave to one who had gained the coveted top seat a glorious exaltation of spirit. I'he scenery was at first picturescpie and then grand. At the THE VILLAGE SQUARE luginning of tlic dcscfiit the traveler looked down on either hand into the deep ravines with their rusliing hrooklets hordered h\ the tangle of file wildwood. I'arther on there opened to view a nohle panorama ot lofty hills raising their forest-clad cones against the western sky. 1 he exhilaration of motion through the morning air, the sense of sharing in Nature's renewal, atul of companionship with her grandeur gave a new infusion of the jov of living, while the world seemed freshly created. it was a different matter to toil up the sandy road of the same Long Hill after panting horses on a hot August afternoon or to climh u|i the long stretches on foot after dismounting to lighten the load. But there were compensations in the reward of wayside heauties and the unaccus- tometl nearness to Nature in her solitude and wildmss. \\ hen roads were poor and the tediousness ot the long hill seemed to stretch over the entire route, there were the tales of friendly drivers to heguile the weari- ness ot the iourne\-. No entrance of trolley car can ever compare in impressiveness with the arrival of the afternoon coach in Brimtield. In the late afternoon of a summer's da\ children watched with fascinated gaze the golden column of sunlit dust which instead of the hugle of old heralded the approach of the stage-coach tar ott on the western plain, until the coach itself came in sight like a chariot in a cloud of glory. When the coach turned from its » course with what hreathless anticipation was it awaited till it should draw 32 STAGE COACH DAYS up to the gate with the eagerlv-looked-tor visitor who had thus com- passed these last and longest miles of journeying out of devotion to the oKl hoiiH- or the claims of friendship. No matter how far the newer and swifter means of travel had brought the loved ones, it was the stage-coach that was honored and blessed for bringing them at last to the heart's own welcome. As the stage-coach came into sight over the hills and from out the windings of the country roads, it appeared to the beholder something far different from a device for locomotion propelled b\- mechanical forces. Something more than a means of conveyance was approaching; for a stage-coach was instinct with associations and it even seemed invested with life and personality. And to the traveler, a stage-coach ride was not merely a convenient way of being transported over distances. It was a true progress of which he formed a part, because the progress was by living forces and animated by will and intelligence. Horses, coach, driver and passengers became one in a common impulse, together pre- vailing in exultant freedom over the stationary, inanimate world and dull stay-at-home existence. Hut alas! the day came when the stage-coach was no longer esteemed by the traveler as a fit expression of his increasing power and dominion. Its glory waned and it fell from its high estate. Then when it became a humble and homely vehicle with horses impressed into plodding service instead of elected to a proud career, the estrangement became complete. With the vanishing of united purpose and pride the journey became a tedious passage instead of a triumphant progress. In common with all history, stage-coaching had seen its golden age. lor the times had changed. The era of new achievements, of speed and unrest in doing and living and traveling had developed. Swif"ter means of transit super- seded the pictures(|ue stage-coach, and the route over the BrimHeld hills was no longer the thoroughfare of yore. Travelers followetl the easier lines of passage and turned aside less and less to the hill-encircled village with its refined life and quiet pursuits. The departure of material pros- perity and diminishing population caused the old town to be no longer the attracting center of the section. Because of the increasing oppor- tunities everywhere for education, the time-honored academy was no longer sought by those far from the boundaries of Brimfield. Thus it came to pass that the latter-day means of travel in the lowly guise which WHERE MARyUIS CONVERSE KEPT THE POST-OFFICE st'fiiuti almost to rol) the lainlsca|K- of its glories was all that conditions of industry and of li\ing, — forever making their inevitahle adjustments, would permit to exist. The Hrimfield stage was not ot the present age and world, and yt-'t it continued to make its passage daily with its few unwilling occupants, continuing in the service of the government, while the favor of travel gradually declined. The passing ot an institution, a custom or a career, however advan- tageously it may be displaced, should not be slightingly regarded. The representative of more than a half-century of two-fold service so inter- woven with the life of a people, witnessing such developments and sharing such changes, now passed forever from sight and soon to pass from mind, should not be thought of merely as a pathetic survival of the unfit, but considered with reverence as faithfully fulfilling to the end a sacred com- mission from the past. THE PASSING OF THK Ol-D-TIMK (;()AC:H H 73 /8 4 O A 4 O 4 o "ijk /-jV o " « >* .-aVa", ^^ ^<.« -'f*?^--, ■%.„,/ -'Mk'. % ,^* *^' 9/ -^ •'^S^SJ > .<^ ^«>' '"■*. •^ ^ F£B 78 ? H.MAiyLHk!> I L». ', INDIANA C.1 .0 » ' • »-