The Bath Daily Times, Monday Evening, January 7,
1946
Old Sagadahock House Coach Conveys Passengers To Dude
Ranch in Far West and Holding Up Well
[This picture is] of the old Sagadahock House stage
coach [ the stage coach in 19th Century Willowbrook Village's collection ], used at the time of the dedication of
the Carlton Bridge over the Kennebec river at Bath. On the coach were 21
people, including U.S. Senators White and Brewster of Maine; Governor Cross of
Connecticut; State Treasurer Cox of Massachusetts; members of the Bridge
Commission and their wives.
The old, familiar Sagadahock stage coach, which for
years has been an object of interest to passers-by at the fine old Crooker
mansion at South and middle streets, as each summer it appeared on the lawn,
has not been seen for some time, nor will it be seen here again, for it is now
in active service at a famous ranch in Arizona, where it carries guests from
the railroad station to the beautiful lodge on the ranch, just as for many
years it carried people in this city [Bath], and as it conveyed passengers from
Bath to Rockland and return[ed], before the days of the Knox & Lincoln
Railroad came into being. The fine old coach, relic of bygone days, was
purchased some time ago by Paul Litchfield, for coaching parties into the
dessert from the Wigwam ranch at Litchfield Park, a project of the Goodyear
Tire and Rubber Co. on one of its cotton plantations near Phoenix, Arizona. Mr.
Litchfield, who is chairman of the board of this great business concern, is no
stranger to Bath, where he spent his Summer vacations, with his aunt, Mrs.
Alvord, and where, as a young lad, he watched the great wooden vessels, and
later the steel ships, come into being in the famous shipyards. In recent years
he has visited here occasionally, and at Squirrel island, and he was a frequent
visitor at Central church, which his mother attended, and which he has held in
fine regard because of these tender memories. Beautiful flowers have adorned
the pulpit of central church, in memory of his mother, a gift from Mr.
Litchfield.
The old coach has a most interesting history. It was
built about 1858 [1849] by the Concord Coach Co., of concord, N.H., to the
order of William Jewell, a retired sea captain of Phippsburg, who was the
father of William Jewell, lately deceased at Phippsburg, at the age of 77.
Capt. Jewell established a stage coach route from Bath to Small Point for a
number of years, and in the late 60s the coach was put on the run with the
Berry coaches of Rockland, continuing in that service until the opening of the
Knox & Lincoln Railroad in 1871 when it was acquired by the late H.A. Huse,
father of h. Augustus Huse, night clerk at the Sedgewick. Mr. Huse was co-partner
with Jerre Shanon, father of the late Mrs. J.R. Andrews, operating in
connection with the Sagadahock block at Front and Center streets. It was at
this time that the coach was redecorated by John Berry and also re-equipped and
was given the name Sagadahock House.
The coach remained in the possession of the Huse
family until 1920 when it was acquired by Charles t. Jackson and entered in the
celebration of the Centennial of the State of Maine. It was featured in the
gala parade with 13 young ladies riding in it dressed in colonial costume and
was driven by the late Joseph Avery with his four handsome black horses,
winning the first prize, a beautiful silver cup. In following years the coach has
been an attraction to the public on the lawn of Mr. Jackson’s residence
throughout the summer seasons and has been used on many occasions through this
part of Maine through the courtesy of Mr. Jackson. Many of the older citizens
of Bath can look back to the enjoyable coaching parties of 20 to 25 young
people going to a country dance or party, or to Topsham County Fair.
Not many people in Bath can recall, as does Mr.
Jackson, the early use of this coach from 1869 to the present time, or take
greater pride in its use and condition today or of the other coaches that were
in service in those early years. The memories of them are with him vividly, and
of the men who were their drivers. The Bath to Rockland run was established by
the Berry Stables of Rockland and included the Bath coach.
The coach left each city in the morning and returned
in the evening, about 50 miles each way. Two steps were made each way and four
wearied horses were changed for fresh ones; at Warren and at Sheepscot. The
roads were rough, which nothing but Concord built coaches could stand. And the
passengers were jolted considerably on the journey. But they were always on
time to connect with the ferry between Bath and Woolwich he speaks of the
driver of the Berry coach, a gentleman as well as a great four horse coach
driver. His name was William L. White of Rockland, later of this city. Later he
became the first to run Rockland and continued in that service until he was
promoted to be the superintendent of the Knox & Lincoln Railroad with his
office in Bath. Mr. White was the father of Miss Minnie White, who now resides
at the Cosmopolitan club here.
The driver of the Sagadahock coach was William
Witham, father of the late Fred and William Witham, and he was followed by the
late Charles Carter of the Carter homestead on Middle street. This colored
gentleman was about five feet five inches in height and weighed about 180
pounds. He was as nimble as a cat in his spring and mount over the wheel to the
driver’s seat. Gathering the reins of the four horses in his left hand he would
reach for the whip and with a long whoop give his “Ya hoo” and sharply crack
the lash about the ears of the lead horses and off they would go on the leap
for the ferry. Mr. Jackson says that many a time he has seen Charles Carter
swing out of Ferry street into front street coming from the ferry at top speed
to pull up at the Elliot house in the brick building now occupied by McFadden’s
Pharmacy and Cohen’s grocery store. After depositing his passengers and baggage
Mr. Carter would mount nimbly to the driver’s seat, crack his whip over the
lead horse’s ears with a “Yep-Yah,” swing in a complete circle at the head of Arch
street and drive into the alley to the stables at the rear. He was considered
one of the best drivers of four horses in Maine.
During the service with Sagadahock House the coach
was operated between the hotel and the railroad station and was driven by the
late George M. Duley for several summers operated a stage route from Bath to
Parker Head. For the many years the old coach was in the Huse family it was the
greatest delight of young Gus Huse to handle the ribbons over four lively
horses with a merry crowd bound to the Fair, or to a dance, or party in the
country. After Gus Huse left Bath to travel in the theatrical world, where he
made a name for himself, the coach was driven by the late Joseph Avery. And now
it is doing fine service at the “dude’ ranch in Arizona, still going strong
after nearly 90 years of service. Surely that is a credit to superb New England
workmanship.
