Whitman Bailey Selection for November: Section of Old Stage Yard near Relay Place

(How did we miss October?)

Section of Old Stage Yard near Relay Place

Download Newspaper Clipping of November 22, 1941

Our usual warning seems to apply here:

"At times, the accompanying vignettes are mostly folklore passed on to Mr. Bailey by residents of the areas where he was sketching.  In those instances he had no way of determining the truth of the story.  Nor have we.  It is presented as a sidelight to the sketch.  Therefore, researchers are cautioned to regard these tales as local color, interesting, thought provoking, but sometimes not entirely factual."

The Bibliography of Stamford, item 166 has this abstract:

"Before the establishment of the USPOD most of the post offices were kept in stores or the home of the then acting postmaster. In the earliest times they were usually in a tavern or inn that also served as a stop for the post rider or stage coach. The first Posts arrived monthly or fortnightly; later twice weekly, not until the coming of the railroad did daily service materialize. Stamford, being the halfway point on the post road between New York and New Haven required a place for the changing of horses and a new Stage House and Stage Yard was erected at the corner of East Main Street and Stage Street to handle both the horses, passengers and the mails. ........ The mails for the main Stamford Post Office were sent via the Lower Post Road from New York via New Haven to Boston until the arrival of the New York & New Haven RR in 1847. The main or upper route went via White Plains to Bedford and thence to Ridgefield, Ct., and on to Hartford via Danbury."

Meaing, the mail location was at another place then the one Whitman Bailey depicts. In any case, there obviously were two stage places. This shows the Relay Place off Main Street location (click on image to get the Google map):

 Stage Street is now underneath the Mall. The old Stage Street can be found on this URC map. Look for Block 25.

Here is more on the Stamford House Hotel on the corner of Main and Stage Streets.

Bailey Sketch Reference file: Bailey233.jpg

Whitman Bailey Collection