The Old Pike: A History of the National Road, with Incidents, Accidents, and Anecdotes ThereonSearight, Thomas B. (Thomas Brownfield)
History
The Old Pike: A History of the National Road, with Incidents, Accidents, and Anecdotes Thereon
Searight, Thomas B. (Thomas Brownfield)
Cumberland Road; Pennsylvania -- Biography
A paper was prepared by the agent of the line at the starting point of
the coach in the nature of a bill of lading, called the "way bill." This
bill was given to the driver, and by him delivered to the landlord at
the station immediately upon the arrival of the coach. It contained the
name and destination of each passenger, and the several sums paid as
fare. It also bore the time of departure from the starting point, and
contained blanks for noting the time of the arrival and departure at
every station. The time was noted by an agent of the line, if one were
at the station, and in the absence of an agent, the noting was done by
the landlord. If a passenger got on at a way station, and this was of
daily occurrence, he paid his fare to the landlord or agent, which was
duly noted on the way bill, together with the passenger's destination.
In addition to the stage lines hereinbefore mentioned, there was a line
known as the "Landlords' Line," put on the road by tavern keepers,
prominent among whom were William Willis (the old driver before
mentioned), Joseph Dilly, and Samuel Luman. There was also a "Pilot
Line" and a "Pioneer Line." These lines had but a short run. The
railroad managers east of Cumberland favored the older lines, and gave
them such advantages in rates that the new lines were compelled to
retire from the competition. They sold out their stock to the old
companies. James Reeside owned the "Pilot Line," and the "Pioneer Line"
was owned by Peters, Moore & Co.
The compensation paid stage drivers was twelve dollars a month, with
boarding and lodging. They took their meals and lodged at the stage
houses, except the married men, who lodged in their own dwellings when
chance threw them at home.
At Uniontown a number of contiguous frame buildings on Mill and South
streets, in the rear of Brownfield's tavern, known as "Hopwood's Row,"
were occupied almost exclusively by the families of stage drivers. They
were erected and owned by the late Rice G. Hopwood, Esquire, and hence
the name given them. Two or three of these old houses are all that are
left standing, and they are in a dilapidated condition. The spirit of
improvement which in late years entered Uniontown, seems to have
carefully avoided the neighborhood of "Hopwood's Row."
The Good Intent and Stockton lines were taken from the National Road in
1851, and placed on the plank road from Cumberland to West Newton. From
the latter point passengers were conveyed by steamboat to Pittsburg by
way of the Youghiogheny river, which was made navigable at that date by
a system of locks and dams like that of the Monongahela. Upon the
withdrawal of the lines mentioned, a line was put on the National Road
by Redding Bunting and Joshua Marshe, and ran as far west as Washington,
Pennsylvania. William Hall subsequently purchased the interest of Mr.
Marshe in this line, which was kept on the road until about the close of
the year 1852, when the era of four-horse coaches ended.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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