Mud wagon-style stagecoach model

1868-1890s

This model represents a 1868 stagecoach commonly known as a mud wagon. The Abbott & Downing Company of Concord, New Hampshire, constructed this style of stagecoach. Unlike the company’s elegant Concord stagecoach, the mud wagon was lighter, smaller, plain-styled, and could be purchased for about one-third of the price of a Concord stagecoach. The only protection provided from bad weather and dusty roads were the canvas side-curtains, which could be rolled up and fastened. Mud wagons were good vehicles for rough mountain roads due to their lower center of gravity. Unlike the Concord stagecoach, which could be mired in bad weather, mud wagons proved true to their name by being able to move through trails and roads during rain storms. A mud wagon can be easily identified by its square, boxy design.