After the Melon
It appears – one cannot be certain, as photographs of stagecoaches on the Island are uncommon- that the Hicksville-Huntington stage service eventually adopted a newer type of vehicle. The following drawing, included in the same article as the above portrait, shows a retired stagecoach left in a grassy field, apparently with screens in the windows. A banner strung across the rear door appears to say Huntington.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 14, 1894
The elaborate paint scheme (which may have been applied by the manufacturer of the coach, as it appears on vehicles used in many different places) helped me discover some historical photographs that may give us a better idea of how this coach looked when it was in service.
5th Avenue and 33rd Street, Manhattan, c.1880
New York Historical Society Negative no. 391
(Note: This is only a portion of the entire image.)
Compared to a melon coach, this stage was of lighter construction and thus required only two horses. It looks airy and probably was quite drafty in winter.
This stage appears to be very similar to the one drawn in the newspaper article, the main difference being that this one has a clerestory projecting upward from the roof. Very popular in the 19th century, a wooden clerestory roof was meant to improve ventilation and, in the daytime, interior light levels. Over long years of service, it was prone to leak and rot and often was eventually replaced by a slightly convex or flat roof.
This image shows another possibility: a flat-roofed version with a railing to allow luggage to be carried overhead.
Although the source dates this photograph to
1896, the woman’s dress looks a lot like 1870s fashion.
ghpl.org/timeline
from the
Grandview Heights Marble Cliff Historical Society
and Grandview Heights [Columbus, OH] Public Library
