One of the goals of the Stone House is to begin to make its collections and artifacts more accessible to the public (that’s you!). So, each Friday we’ll post an interesting document, image, or other article from the house or its collections – check back weekly to see what interesting stuff we dig up!
This 1859 way-bill was recently found in a cabinet drawer in the house. The Pittsburgh to Erie stagecoach line was established in the 182os, and the Stone House became one of its landmark stops. Note the “United States Mail” across the top – the U.S. Postal service used stagecoach lines as one of the primary methods of mail distribution before the advent of an extensive and reliable railroad system.
This waybill also shows us that stagecoach travel, while used by all classes of people, was not cheap. The second passenger listed here (Lafever?) paid $3.25 for passage from Pittsburgh to Meadville, a distance of about 90 miles. By one rough calculation, that’s the equivalent of approximately $74.00 today.
Hope you enjoy this glimpse into the Stone House! We will also soon begin posting images on Flickr and each “Friday Find” will also be available there.