Skip to main content
Smithsonian main website

Search

Donate

EnglishEnglish
EnglishEnglishArabicArabicChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Simplified)FilipinoFilipinoFrenchFrenchGermanGermanHebrewHebrewHindiHindiItalianItalianJapaneseJapaneseKoreanKoreanPortuguesePortugueseRussianRussianSpanishSpanishSwahiliSwahili
Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
  • Visit
    Visit
    • Location and Directions
    • Calendar of Events
    • Public Programs
    • Tours and Itineraries
    • Museum Highlights
    • Museum Shop
    • Virtual Tour
    • Virtual Self-Guides
    • Information Desk
    • Reviews
    • Accessibility
    • Alerts
    Plan a Visit

    TEMPORARILY CLOSED
    Open every day (except December 25)
    10:00 am to 5:30 pm

    Admission is always free!

    2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
    Washington, DC 20002

    street map of Postal museum

    Learn more
  • Exhibitions
    Exhibitions
    • Current Exhibitions
    • Upcoming Exhibitions
    • Virtual Exhibitions
    • Past Exhibitions
    The museum's Atrium
  • Learn & Explore
    Learn & Explore
    • For Researchers
    • For Educators
    • Topical Reference Pages
    • Research Articles
    • Stamp Collecting
    • Social Media
    • Activities
    Front windows showing stamp images at night
  • Collections
    Collections
    • Search the Collection
    • Collection History
    • Collection Plan
    • Collection Projects
    • Object Donations
    • Object Loans
    • Digital Asset Collections
    • Rights and Reproductions
    • Preservation
    • Object Spotlight
    People in front of log post office building
  • About
    About
    • Support the Museum
    • History of the Museum
    • Celebrating 175 Years of the Smithsonian Institution
    • FAQs
    • Host an Event
    • Museum Councils
    • Philatelic Achievement Awards
    • Volunteering
    • Internships
    • Employment
    • Contact Us
    • Smithsonian Affiliations
    • Press
    • Meet Our Staff
    • Site Map
    Historic Lobby
  • Blog
  • Home
  • Collections
  • Search the Collection
  • Concord-style stagecoach model
Click to view social media share links

Concord-style stagecoach model

Object Details

Description
This model represents one of the most famous aspects of America’s western history, the stagecoach. Concord-style mail coaches were used from the early 1800s through the early 1900s and obtained their name from the town where they were built. Lewis S. Downing and partner J. Stephen Abbott designed and built these vehicles in Concord, New Hampshire. The Abbott Downing Company achieved international fame for its well-crafted and sturdy stagecoaches. The vehicles were elegantly painted in bright colors and decorated with oil paintings on the doors. The vehicles, while fancy to look at, were built to withstand the demands of the nation’s rough and rugged roads. The coaches were built in six, nine, and twelve-passenger sizes (not counting passengers who rode on the roof when the coach was full). The mail was typically carried in a space under the driver's seat, and baggage could be loaded on the rack on top or in the rear compartment.
After twenty years in business together, Abbott and Downing went their separate ways in an amicable split. Downing continued to build Concord coaches, and the two companies merged again in 1865 when Lewis Downing, Jr. and J.S. and E.A. Abbott Company formed the Abbott-Downing Company. Coaches, wagons, and carriages continued to be manufactured under that company’s name until 1919.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
1850-1899
Object number
0.052985.270
Type
Transportation Equipment & Models
Dimensions
Height x Width x Depth: 17 1/2 x 12 x 48 in. (44.45 x 30.48 x 121.92 cm)
Place
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
On View
Currently on exhibit at the National Postal Museum
Topic
Transportation
Record ID
npm_0.052985.270
Usage
Not determined
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8ca53ff76-9e9e-4fca-9f45-91a1e5ccb877
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Plan a Visit

TEMPORARILY CLOSED
Open every day (except December 25)
10:00 am to 5:30 pm

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

street map of Postal museum

Learn more
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Press
  • Site Map
  • e-News
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Flickr

Have you signed up for our monthly e-newsletter?

Owney, the Railway Mail Service Mascot

Back to Top