Historic Sugartown’s Carriage Museum, built atop the foundation of a c. 1910 maintenance garage and former home to a satellite branch of the Malvern Fire Co., houses a collection of carriages, sleighs, and other forms of transportation that could be found in the 19th century. Partnering with Chester County History Center, Historic Sugartown is dedicated to the care and interpretation of the varied collection housed within the Museum walls. 

While some of the main highlights of the Carriage Museum collection include a c. 1800 Conestoga Wagon used to haul freight from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh (not to be confused with the western Prairie Schooner!) and a hearse used by undertaker George L. Moore of Guthriesville in the 1870s, there are a few diamonds in the rough that have caught my eye recently. 

One in particular, the Phaeton/Hansom Carriage thought to be made around the 1830s is quite an interesting part of the collection. This carriage seems to be a mixture of a few different types, and I have not been able to find one in my research that looks enough like this one to definitively say “This carriage is a ____.” This carriage has an elevated drivers seat in the back and a fold-down door in the front with a detachable window, much like a 19th century Hansom cab, but this carriage has four wheels, unlike the Hansom which only has two. Hansom cabs, designed to be fairly light and maneuverable, were particularly popular in London in the 19th century as a form of public transportation. 

To me personally, this carriage looks like a mix of a Hansom cab and a Physician’s Phaeton carriage, with a bit of Landaulet Rockaway mixed in. I also see some similarities to a diagram of a Victoria Cab found in Hill’s Manual of Social and Business Forms, by Thomas. E. Hill, 1886 (Picture included in this post!). While we don’t know the exact history of this carriage, judging from the elegant carvings, sword case, and striped silk trim, we can deduce that it was quite an expensive carriage for its time, likely used for personal or private travel. Unusual but intriguing, I am curious as to what else I may find out about this carriage if I dig around more on a local scale! The best part of this mystery isn’t just the “what am I going to find?” portion, but also the learning about so many different carriage types along the way. Just like that old saying, it’s not just about the destination, but the journey too.

Images Courtesy of Hill’s Manual of Social and Business Forms, by Thomas. E. Hill, 1886