In the early days of Rochester when people had to go somewhere, they walked. When Abraham Holmes was sent to find out the results of the Battle of Concord and Lexington, he headed toward Middleboro on foot. As time passed, horses and wagons came into town, but few people traveled far from home.
Once shipbuilding got underway, small sailing ships, “packets”, traveled up and down the coast with goods which would be brought to certain landings where they would be picked up and carried on horseback or ox cart.
By 1793, Samuel Sprague and Andrew Kershew of Acushnet had started stagecoach routes that carried both goods and passengers. One route went through Acushnet, Middleboro and Bridgewater to Boston. Another went by Post Road to Perry Hill to Rochester and then through Wareham and Sandwich to Barnstable.
In 1794, mail began to be carried on this route. The word “Post” added to the names of roads came from those roads being used to deliver the mail. Records show that Jesse Smith had a contract to run a stage three times a week to carry mail from West Middleboro to North Rochester from 1836-1841.
In the Museum’s current exhibit, we have a map showing stage routes and taverns. The two go hand in hand as stagecoaches stopped at taverns which often acted as rest stops for both horses and passengers. In addition to carrying passengers, some stagecoaches carried freight and express baggage on some of their routes.
The early routes that ran through southeastern Massachusetts were originally nothing more than foot or horse paths. They were barely big enough for the stage. The earliest drivers with their helpers had to whack their way through trees and underbrush. The rough roads made for uncomfortable rides for passengers who after being tossed about were happy for tavern stops.
Stage travel could also be dangerous. There are records that show at least two drivers froze to death driving in the dead of winter. Another report from the end of the18th century tells of a stagecoach accident. Snowdrifts had hidden the edge of a pond and the coach fell through the ice. The driver and a passenger drowned.
The stagecoach traveling on the road and rushing into town was an impressive sight. Some with four horses harnessed together made people stop to watch and some were so accurate that they could set their clocks by them. The stagecoaches were eventually replaced by trains putting an end to an era.
By Connie Eshbach