Part 3

This surrey was built in Burlington, Vermont by J. R. and J. H. Lockwood and was used in and around this community for many years by the Wells family, who were connected with the manufacture of dyes and patent medicine. The Wells and Richardson Company commenced business in 1872 and seven years later began an intensive advertising program for their then little-known remedy, “Kidney-Wort.” In 1881 they invested $150,000 in direct advertising--a phenomenal sum at that time, but the sales justified the expenditure, as they mounted to over half-a-million dollars that year. Wells and Richardson also manufactured Diamond Dyes and “Improved Butter Color” and these products earned a world-wide reputation for this Burlington, Vermont business concern.

DEPOT WAGON OR CURTAIN ROCKAWAY

_Body painted black with red gear. Trimmed in black broadcloth._

There were many types of rockaways, but the distinguishing feature of this vehicle is the roof which projected over the driver, assuring him of some protection in inclement weather.

This depot wagon or curtain rockaway also has the enameled leather curtains which could be rolled up on fine days, and yet dropped quickly for protection if caught out in a shower. After a rain storm, the curtains were dressed with sweet or sperm-oil rubbed on with a greased rag, and with proper care, they proved durable and remained pliable for many years.

This vehicle was used particularly to take guests to and from the railway station in suburban Philadelphia, but it also served for shopping expeditions. It was built by Horace Ervien, of Ogontz, Pennsylvania.

_Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Lippincott, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania_

COUPÉ ROCKAWAY

_Dark green, striped with red. Trimmed with leather seat, green satin roof interior and padded seat back._

The rockaway was a popular close carriage of both the affluent and not so wealthy American family; in the year 1900, for instance, only 846 broughams (a comparable close carriage) were built as compared with 3,166 rockaways turned out that year.

This vehicle is elegantly fitted out with leather card case, as well as clock case built into the interior lining. It was used by the Wells family of Burlington, Vermont, and was a product of Kimball Brothers Company, Boston; Z. Thompson & Bros. Builders, Portland, Maine. The Wells monogram painted in red on the door panel adds an extra touch of tasteful decoration.

SIX-PASSENGER ROCKAWAY

_Body painted dark green. Trimmed in eggshell corded broadcloth, embroidered with green leaf motif on corded silk fabric._

Although in excellent condition, this rockaway is one of the older vehicles in the collection and was used prior to 1858 by Gen. J. Watson Webb. His daughter Catherine married James G. Benton of the U.S. Army Ordnance Department in 1858, and the Bentons used the rockaway when they lived in Washington, D. C. Benton, a West Point graduate, was the author of many valuable reports on ordnance and wrote the course of instruction in ordnance and gunnery used by the cadets at the U.S. military academy. Col. Benton’s experiments on a new type of rifled musket led to the development of the Springfield rifle, and he superintended the construction of the early models of this gun at the Springfield Armory where he served as commanding officer.

_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward Webb_

BUCKBOARD PHAETON

_Natural color varnished body. Trimmed in tan cord, black leather top._

This buckboard was made by Joubert & White of Glens Falls, New York and was used by Dr. Webb in this community for many years.

The natural varnished body was a deceptively simple vehicle finish. In the _Coachmaker’s Illustrated Handbook_, published in 1875, the chapter on painting pointed out the hazards of the clear varnish finish: “The varnish can crawl, run, enamel, pit, blotch, sag down and hang on the lower edge; smoke or cloud over; appear as though dust had been dredged on it through a piece of fine mull, or gather up and hang in heavy ridges or beads along the center part of the spokes and other carriage parts. These irregularities will happen with the best quality of varnish and with workmen of undoubted skill, and are caused by atmospheric influences alone.” The English varnish was preferred by carriage painters, for they believed it possessed a secret ingredient which made it the finest available at that time.

_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward Webb_

PONY BUCKBOARD

_Natural varnished body, yellow gear striped in black. Trimmed in brown corduroy._

This buckboard was used by the Webb children and was pony-drawn. It was made by J. B. Dubuc who was the Shelburne town blacksmith, and whose smithy is now located at the museum, having been moved to the grounds in January of 1956 from its location next to the railroad tracks.

Dubuc came to Shelburne in 1869 from Canada and with his capital of $55 and his trade as a blacksmith set himself up in business. He was the owner of a livery stable, paint shop, harness and carriage shop and operated the meat market here in Shelburne as a sideline. Retiring when his health failed, he took an active part in town affairs, serving as school director and town library treasurer.

_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward Webb_

These two photos were taken at Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, Vermont in the early 1890’s.

DOUBLE BUCKBOARD

_Body painted black; gear painted red. Trimmed in brown leather._

The true buckboard has been defined as a light four-wheeled vehicle in which the body and springs are replaced by long, elastic boards, supported at the ends directly by the axles. The driver’s comfort, as well as that of his passengers, depended upon the resiliency of the boards themselves, and the buckboard proved a far more comfortable vehicle for long trips than might be expected.

This buckboard was used at the Kildare Club in the Adirondacks in the 1880’s. After this club was sold, the buckboard was used at Nehasane, in Hamilton County, New York, a game preserve and hunting camp owned by Dr. W. Seward Webb.

_Gift of Mr. J. Watson Webb, Shelburne, Vermont._

TRIPLE BUCKBOARD

_Body and gear in natural varnish finish. Trimmed with black leather._

Single and double buckboards are often found, but this triple buckboard is considered a rare example. It was made for Dr. E. D. Ferguson of Troy, New York about 1885 to his order in Glens Falls, New York. It descended to his grandson, the little boy sitting with his mother in the rear seat of the buckboard in the old photo below, who gave it to the museum in 1953.

_Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Everard Childs, Manchester, Vermont_

UNCLASSIFIED VEHICLES

RACING SULKY

_Framework and wheels painted yellow._

This type of two-wheel cart was used for exercising and racing trotting horses. Built as light as possible with practically no body work, these sulkies were really mere frames supporting the single seat.

From mid-19th century, trotting parks and race tracks were established in the New England states. These were the natural outgrowth of the impromptu brushes between drivers on the road. The trot is the most comfortable for the driver and the easiest gait for the horse in harness, and then too the New England Puritan conscience could be quieted with the explanation that light harness racing was in reality an attempt to improve the breed of trotters. Races at local fair grounds gave breeders a chance to see their home-grown stock in action and competition with the “experts” on tour. A prize-winning performance on the track always influenced prices, and many a farmer dreamed of raising a trotter that would one day bring him real fame.

SKELETON WAGON

_Body and wheels painted red._

This light racing cart was found in Westford, Vermont and shows the webbed seat and pencil-slim spokes of the early skeleton wagon.

Rural communities here in Vermont have enjoyed harness racing for many years, and Bertha Oppenheim (_Winged Seed_) depicted the Fourth of July races held in the early years of this century in Ferrisburg, a small community just south of the Shelburne Museum. The brass band had been engaged far in advance; ice cream and lemonade were on sale in the refreshment tents; horses had been entered from as far away as Rutland and Manchester, Vermont--and even from across the lake in New York State. Hundreds of buggies and horses were hitched to fences everywhere and Ford cars were parked on the sidelines too. The racing carts, decorated with many colors, lined the track. The “trots” were exciting, but the free-for-all race was the climax of the celebration.

TUB CART

_Natural color varnish; metal-rimmed ties. Trimmed in brown leather._

Each of the Webb children in turn learned to drive in this little cart dating from about 1883 and made to Dr. Webb’s specifications by a local wheelwright. Wheelwrights often made entire vehicles and served as village carpenters.

Wheel-making consisted of several processes--the hub was first turned by hand lathe and then mortised to take the spokes. Felloes or fellies (the wooden outer rim of the wheel), cut by the bow saw and adzed to shape, were then mortised and fitted to the spokes.

Fitting the outer rim to the completed wheel was the final operation. In the old days the wheel was straked--that is, overlapping iron plates were nailed to the rim of the wheel. About 1850 the hoop tire began to supersede the strake. Here the length of iron was welded into a hoop, heated so that it would expand and then dropped onto the wheel. It was cooled with buckets of water and after shrinking made a tight, secure metal rim for the wheel.

_Gift of the Webb family in memory of Dr. and Mrs. W. Seward Webb_

KENTUCKY BREAKING CART

_Body painted red. Trimmed with brown leather._

Not a carriage in the true meaning of the word, this type of vehicle was intended solely for breaking horses. The very long shafts kept the float body and its occupant at a comfortable distance from the heels of the young horse being schooled, and because of the placement of the seat, the driver was given better control and greater security. This cart could also be used for exercising horses.

Manufactured by the H. H. Babcock Company of Watertown, New York.

_Gift of Dr. Stuart Orton, Rahway, New Jersey._

CONCORD WAGON

_Body originally painted old blue color._

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