The Hiawatha Stagecoach

Under a pavilion to the west side of The Columns, visitors may look upon the Hiawatha, an original 19^th century stagecoach, built during the late 1840’s or early 1850’s.

Initially, the Hiawatha was operated by the Honesdale and Erie Railroad to provide passenger service between Honesdale and Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. However, when the railroad replaced horse-drawn conveyances as a means of travel in that area, the stagecoach route was abandoned. At about the same time, John W. Findlay, a native of Scotland who had moved to Milford, established a local livery business and took over an existing stage line between Milford and Port Jervis, New York. In the 1860’s, after the Honesdale line was discontinued, Mr. Findlay traded his first and smaller stagecoach for the twelve passenger Hiawatha.

The Hiawatha became a familiar sight in the Milford vicinity of Pike County, running along the banks of the Delaware carrying passengers, the United States mail, and the business of the local Wells Fargo Express Agency. It provided continuous service during the remainder of the 19^th century and the first two decades of the 20^th century; it was also used for numerous local excursions, parades, and celebrations.

Late in the 1920’s, the Hiawatha, falling into a state of disrepair, was stored in one of Mr. Findlay’s barns, then in other barns around Milford. During the 1950’s, the Findlay family donated the stagecoach to the Pike County Historical Society, and, in 1982, the Society moved the Hiawatha to the carriage restoration facilities of Mr. Elam Riehl of Gap, Pennsylvania, to have the stagecoach restored to its original condition. Today, the restored – or resurrected – Hiawatha is back in Milford, on permanent display at The Columns.