The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-14
OLD STAGE COACH DAYS.
Anecdotes of webster Recalled at
Quaint village.
From the New York Tribune.

Quaint village.
From the New York Tribune.
Queen Anne's Corner, Mass, Sept. 90.
This place of poetic name is far re-
moved from the busy haunts of men.
1t is one of the has been" places of
Massachusetts. 1t cannot be called a
town, for it is on the outskirts of three
towns. Near here is a beautiful sheet
of water called Accord Pond, from the
fact that the boundaries of three towns
come together in it's center, The towns
are usually at peace, too
The village got it's name in, an odd
way. one unsophisticated native was
heard to say recently to a visitor who
asked whence he the name of Queen
Anne's Corner came.
why, don't We know?" Queen Anne
many years ago, when she came to
America stopped off here, and they had
celebration in her honor, and they
named the place after her" History
makes no mention of Queen Anne's
visit to New England, however
TIL name is easily explained, never
theless. Here until recently there was
a famous tavern known as the "Old
Halfway House"-a pretty conceit from
the fact that it stood on the old Bos-
ton and Plymouth turnpike-each place
being twenty miles from the village.
Before the railroad was put through to
Plymouth daily stage coaches ran be-
tween New Englands metropolis and
her first settled town. The railroad
company wanted to lay the rails
through here, following the turnpike,
but the inhabitants objected, and civil
ilzation passed by on the, other side.
Now there is a trolley line here, but
population has followed the railroad,
and trolley cars have brought few new
residents. One of the keepers of the
tavern was Mrs Anne Lincoln. On
account of her imperious ways she
came TO be, known as Queen Anne,
hence the villages name. The Half
way House was one of the most famous
inns in Eastern Massachusetts.
People are inclined to think the old
way of travelling by stage coach was
very slow, but the few old residents
who remember stage coach days tell
different story. The trip from Plym-
outh to Boston was made in about four
hours, with four changes of horses, and
tine animals they are said to have
Peen, too, as good as money. could buy.
The coach would leave Plymouth at
3 O'Clock in the mornings with six
horses. At Marshfield, ten miles from
Plymouth. after a run of an hour. six
fresh horses would be substituted for
those which had made the run from
Plymouth. The next relay in the trip
was to the Halfway House, where a
half hours wait was made for refresh
ments. Many, indeed, took breakfast
there. The next stage in the journey
was to Quincy, the home of MassaChu-
setts' two Presidents. Horses were
again changed there, and these last
animals completed the trip to Boston,
which was reached by 1920 o'clock, or
even earlier. barring accidents.
The return trip was made in the aft
ernoon. 'Fhe coach left Boston at
o'clock The same horses which had
drawn it from Quincy after four hours
and half rest were,ip condition again
to be pressed into> service and returned
to the home of the ,Adamses. 'Ehe 9TH
er relays of shofses simply4 reversed
what they had done earlier in the day
after plenty of rest. Thus it was nee
essary to have twentY-four splendid
horses in service all the time, besides
maintaining several spare ones in case
Of emergencies. The fare between
Boston and Plymouth was 81, as
againstaSe centslon the train now.
y The afternoon coach reached Queen
Anne's Corner at o'clock, and half an
hour was allowed for dinner. which
was noted for it's excellence A novel;
way was taken to inform the landlord
how many covers were to be laid. A
mile from here is a hill. When the top
was reached the bugler on the coach
would blow a long blast. which could
easily be heard here. Then he would
toot the number of passengers who had
ordered dinner. When the coach pulled
UP at the tavern the hungry passen-
gers would find dinner already served,
and no time was lost in that way.
Daniel Webster who lived at Marsh
field, and had a law office in Boston,
was "A frequent visitor of the Halfway
House on his almost daily trips to Bos-
ton.E He rarely used the stage coach,
however, preferring his own chaise He
often arranged to stop at the tavern
for dinner on his return trip to Marsh
field. Several of the oldest inha bitants
remember the great statesman. One
old man is proud to talk how he got
the better of Webster on one occa-
sion. 1t is no secret that the de
fender of the constitution had weak
ness for liquor. The Halfway House
had. we'll regulated bar, and Web
ster usually RECALLED himself there. One
day there was circus in bingham,
the adjoining town, and there was a
general exodus from nearby towns to
bingham. The proprietor, guests and
servants of the tavern all wanted to
go, and boy was left in charge of the