Museum Musing

Heritage Seekers July Program will be Hall’s Hall July 20 at 7 P.M. Joe Baldwin will be our guest speaker. In honoring the 250th Birthday Celebration, Joe will be sharing some of the famous Palmyra patrons, places, and events.
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like riding a Stagecoach like the ones that were made here in Palmyra?
I would imagine that it would be like a hay wagon ride without a soft cushion or bale of
straw to sit on while going over a bumpy gravel road.
The first stagecoach introduced to passengers was in Kentucky by John Kennedy on August 9, 1803.The line ran between Lexington and Olympian Springs at Mud Lick in Bath Country.
The trip was 47 miles and cost 21 schillings.
Stagecoaches were a fashionable way to travel until 1880 when railroads were popping
up.
1830 Missouri line started with the goal of connecting small river settlements.
We know Palmyra was an essential spot on the early Missouri transportation routes,
most notable one serving as a major stop on the St. Louis to St. Paul route.
The St louis- St Paul route was one of the local routes. This long-distance corridor
regularly brought travelers and mail directly through the heart of Palmyra.
The Gardner House, which was called Stagecoach Inn, served as a main stagecoach
stop and tavern right on the main line.
It was a place for exhausted passengers who frequently stopped meals, lodging and
entertainment.
The Palmyra -Des Moines Line is a dedicated regional line that runs to transport
travelers and mail north to Iowa. A stagecoach built in 1847 right here in this town is now preserved by the Missouri State Museum in Jefferson City, Missouri .
Then there is the Quincy-Palmyra Regional Stagecoach, A four horse coach that ran the main road between Palmyra and Taylor, Missouri (now modern-day Hifhway6d1) crossing the Mississippi River to connect with Quincy Illinios.
By 1860 the expansion of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Rairoad began taking over the mail contracts and passenger traffic that had once been Palmyras early boom town era.
A ticket to ride a stagecoach would cost you 10 to 15 cents per mile. Some Western
Stagecoaches offered tired pricing .
First class: You paid the full rate and stayed inside the coach for the whole trip.
Second Class would cost you less, but you had to walk through particularly rugged
parts of the road.
Third class Passengers paid the cheapest fare but were often expected to get out an
help push the heavy coach up steep hills or out of mud.
Meals would cost one dollar more.
Gardner House is open Mondays, Wednesday and Friday 10 to 2
The Old Marion County Jail and Research Center is open on Wednesday’s 10 to 2
Everyone have a great week