this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2025
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Historical Artifacts

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Just a community for everyone to share artifacts, reconstructions, or replicas for the historically-inclined to admire!

Generally, an artifact should be 100+ years old, but this is a flexible requirement if you find something rare and suitably linked to an era of history, not a strict rule. Anything over 100 is fair game regardless of rarity.

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From Library of Congress.

At the National Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood, Missouri.

Edit to add more context from the museum site:

The stage coach-style passenger coach of Boston & Providence Railroad was designed and built by John Lightner in Boston & Providence Railroad shops. The Boston & Providence Railroad Coach is the oldest original American railway passenger coach. Built in 1833, resembling an early stagecoach, it has four wheels and is constructed of wood, with an iron frame and leather straps supporting the body. The car was made three years after the first U.S. Steam locomotive was built in 1830. At first horse-drawn, it was later pulled behind the first steam engine that traveled between Boston, MA and Providence, RI. The coach was exhibited with the "Daniel Nason" locomotive at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893) and in New York (1939-1940). In 1982, it was among 8,500 items auctioned from the estate of a wealthy businessman. That year it was contributed to the Museum by the "Friends of the Danbury Collection."

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[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 7 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Yo, this is an early train rail car, based on a stage coach. It literally had it written in the top.

Real stage coaches have huge wheels

[–] phdepressed@sh.itjust.works 3 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

It was a stage coach converted to a rail car per OPs edit for museum description.

[–] greatwhitepapertiger@lemmy.zip 5 points 14 hours ago

I believe that's a passenger rail carriage not a stagecoach.

[–] Zombiepirate@lemmy.world 3 points 13 hours ago

More information from the museum site:

The stage coach-style passenger coach of Boston & Providence Railroad was designed and built by John Lightner in Boston & Providence Railroad shops. The Boston & Providence Railroad Coach is the oldest original American railway passenger coach. Built in 1833, resembling an early stagecoach, it has four wheels and is constructed of wood, with an iron frame and leather straps supporting the body. The car was made three years after the first U.S. Steam locomotive was built in 1830. At first horse-drawn, it was later pulled behind the first steam engine that traveled between Boston, MA and Providence, RI. The coach was exhibited with the "Daniel Nason" locomotive at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893) and in New York (1939-1940). In 1982, it was among 8,500 items auctioned from the estate of a wealthy businessman. That year it was contributed to the Museum by the "Friends of the Danbury Collection."

[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 3 points 15 hours ago

Someone said Dakota