𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗘’𝗦 𝟭𝟴𝟱𝟵 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗔𝗖𝗛

Eight years have passed since we celebrated the restoration of Barre Historical Society's Concord Stagecoach in a public event on June 1, 2014. 

The weather cooperated and hundreds gathered on Barre Common to enjoy the event as it unfolded under a clear blue sky.

Members of the Barre Historical Society dressed in period clothing and greeted the public. The coach was moved to the Common near the bandstand via six or seven "manpower," from the stagecoach's home in the Coach House. The late Lester Paquin was Master of Ceremonies as the public was encouraged to admire the coach's restoration by Brian Howard of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Brian Howard removed about 18 layers of grimy varnish to reveal the original colorful paintings on the stagecoach's doors. This work was funded in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and in part by the Barre Village Improvement Society.

The stagecoach was built in 1859 by Abbot-Downing Co. of Concord, New Hampshire. It was among the largest of the coaches they produced. It could accommodate up to 12 passengers inside, and when the top was also used, almost twice that amount. It is nine feet tall, 15 feet long, and six feet wide. It weighs more than 2,400 pounds. Six horses were required to pull this coach when it was loaded.

It is not easy to accommodate such a large vehicle when it is not needed for transportation.  For many years, Dr. George Brown used it as a “tally-ho coach” (used for excursions) for the students in his former school on Broad Street.  The school closed in the late 1940s and the coach became the property of the Barre Library Association, which did not have the space to store it. Ownership of the coach was transferred to the Barre Historical Society in the 1960s, but at that time, the Society also had no place to store or display the vehicle.  It was stored in privately owned barns, gaining layers of dirt and grime, until the Barre Historical Society built its Coach House.  The post-and-beam Coach House structure was completed in 2001 as a separate building behind the society’s main building at 18 Common Street.  Now the coach had a suitable home and a wonderful place to display it, but the coach needed a facelift.  This was accomplished by Brian Howard, the restorer, mentioned above.

The 1859 Concord Coach has become an iconic symbol of the Barre Historical Society.  Stay tuned for a coming post on our new coach-themed “banner” and its significance.

Lucy Allen

June 1, 2022