Stagecoaches East

When I think of stagecoaches I think of stagecoaches in the west. They had them all over. That is in this area too but for some reason they are often overlooked in our local history book. I'm pretty sure they were here too, but I just can't find much locally about them, except for a brief mention the book 175 Facts About Marietta, Georgia.. But they had to be here to keep the wheels rolling, so to speak. Trust me.

Did you know the average stagecoach, back then, traveled at an average of 8mph?*

That is eight miles and hour. Two hours they would have traveled 16 miles, 24 in three miles and so on (use your multiplication tables).

If you wanted to travel from Marietta to Atlanta for a night on the town it would be about a two and a half hour trip. If you wanted to go from Marietta to Chattanooga it would be over a 12 hour trip, which might be, according to the stagecoach policy, might take you a day and a half to reach your destination.

Since time-wise, many things we think of are only a few hours away were back then days away. That meant there should have been road-side inns to feed and house stagecoach travelers. And it probably meant price-gouging… if you didn’t like price of the meal and lodging you couldn’t take your business elsewhere, could you?

A few years ago we toured the historic homes in Madison, Georgia. One of the homes, off the main road we visited was not a fine looking southern home. It looked more practical for some reason. It was a travel-Inn for stagecoaches back when there was a demand.

The stagecoach not only delivered people but also items ordered and mail to rural distribution points – which is known as star-routes, that is privately owned companies delivering mail to rural distribution points (now you know).

The main stagecoach service, if not the only one, for this area was owned by James R. Powell. *

I think Marietta’s traveler’s lodge is where Schillings Restaurant is today. In the back where a lawyer’s office is now were stables where the horses were kept.

By the way, the same building that was the stables in years to come was promoted to be the Street Car Terminal with fancy metal ornate décor along the ceiling, which is still there today.

* UNCLE JOHN’S TRIUMPHANT 20TH ANNIVERSARY BATHROOM READER

** 175 Facts About Marietta, Georgia, p4, by Rebecca Nash Paden and Joe McTyre.