Public Conveyances. 253 



It is no fancy of memory to say that the teams were of the 

 very best. The crack of the whip and dash of the horse was 

 not wanting, and the same pride on the part of the drivers to 

 come into town in good style, which is the tradition of old stag- 

 ing days, was felt here in Hingham as elsewhere. There are 

 many anecdotes of the brilliant exhibitions of the drivers' skill. 

 One venerable resident has told the writer how well he remem- 

 bers the usual sight as the Plymouth stage came down by the Old 

 Meeting-house, where the driver would crack his whip, the horses 

 dash into a full gallop, and be brought gracefully to a full stop at 

 the Post Office, which, in those days, stood on the hill in front of 

 the Academy ; and also the ringing sound of the horn in the 

 west part of the town in the early morning, announcing the arri- 

 val of the mail in town, hurrying the postmaster to his station to 

 receive it. 



Among the popular drivers " Ben " Bates and " Jake " Sprague, 

 of the Plymouth line ; " Bill " Furgerson, of the Scituate line ; 

 and " Tom " Morey and " Bill " Hichborn, of the Hingham line, 

 are well remembered by the older residents and patrons. 



The team was usually four horses, and a stop was made on the 

 way at Quincy, for rest and " refreshment." 



The steamboat landing was for many years the terminus of 

 lines from the neighboring towns, and there has been no lack 

 of local accommodation in later years. The fine four-horse 

 " Steamboat Coach," owned and driven by Joseph Haskell, to con- 

 nect with the steamer " Gen. Lincoln," in 1834, and other years 

 about that time, was the admiration of the town. It was for local 

 accommodation. 



RAILROADS. 



The Old Colony Railroad was opened from Boston to Plymouth 

 Nov. 10, 1845. The route was through Quincy, Braintree, and 

 Abington. The distance from Hingham to Quincy was about six 

 miles, and to Braintree about ten miles. Naturally the question 

 of a railroad through Hingham to connect with the Old Colony 

 soon began to be agitated. There was much discussion about the 

 location of the road, opinions differing widely as to the most de- 

 sirable route ; but it was settled by the charter of the South Shore 

 Railroad Company, which was granted March 26, 1846, the loca- 

 tion being somewhat changed by a subsequent Act. This road was 

 a branch from the Old Colony from North Braintree to Cohasset, 

 passing through Hingham between North and South streets. 

 The road was opened for travel Jan. 1, 1849, with stations in 

 Hingham at the corner of West and South streets, called " West 

 Hingham ; " on North Street between Thaxter's Bridge and 

 Broad Bridge, called " Hingham ; " on Summer Street, called 

 " Old Colony House ; " and on East Street, near the Cohasset line, 

 called " Nantasket," and afterwards " North Cohasset." 



Until Oct. 1, 1852, the road was leased and operated by the 



