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Stagecoaches were a staple of old Western movies, but they were also afixture in Rockbridge County in the late 19th century — the key form of mass transit in that era, according to the historian Richard Halseth. His article, “Stagecoach Travel in Rockbridge,” has just been published in the online history series “Rockbridge Epilogues.”
Halseth, a leader in both the Rockbridge Historical Society and Historic Lexington Foundation, recounts the experiences of several travelers who recorded first-hand stories of remarkable and sometimes dangerous journeys. They include the diary of a distinguished Dutch solider, Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar- Eisenach, who took a stagecoach to Natural Bridge in 1825, and an 1877 newspaper account of a raging flood on the North River, now the Maury, that nearly claimed a coach filled with mail.
He also describes several of the inns that sprang up to serve stagecoach operators and travelers, some of which still exist, although mostly as private homes. An exception is the Sheridan Livery, which became a steam laundry, then an indoor mall specializing in crafts, and today is a hotel.
The article can be read at www.HistoricRockbridge.org. It is the 47th in the six-year old series, which is endorsed by both local historical organizations. “Epilogues” are meant to present significant essays of local interest that are not available in print elsewhere.
PRINCE Carl Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, who fought at Waterloo and later became commander of the Dutch East Indies Army, wrote a vivid account of an 1825 stagecoach visit to Natural Bridge.
THE RED HOUSE, The Red House, later known as the Treavy Inn, near Fairfield, was built by John Mc-Dowell and became a stop for stagecoaches in the mid-19th century. (Portrait in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam)
