1892 Brewster Park Drag Coach
One of the grandest examples of a late 19th-Century horse-drawn coach.
Wood construction to the finest standards of the period, a foundation for the transition to early automobile coachwork.
This Brewster drag coach represents the highest form of transportation in the early 1890s. Built by Brewster to the highest standards, this four-horse-drawn coach was ordered by New York business executive Hamilton McKown Twombly, who married Florence Adele Vanderbilt after the two met here in Newport. Constructed from wood to the highest standards, the coach was finished in the Vanderbilt family colors, “A dash of burgundy mixed with plum.”
Brewster & Co. of New Haven, CT. was one of the most highly respected coachbuilders in the world, and this Park Drag Coach represents the zenith of wood coachbuilding during this period prior to the automobile. The fine details and accurate fit and finish demonstrate the level at which Brewster was completing these carriages. Brewster achieved many awards for their high-quality workmanship, including a Legion of Honor award at the 1878 Paris World’s Fair. Carriages built in this style were not designed for daily use, but rather for making a statement upon arrival at the most important events, akin to the stretch limousine of today. With room for eight passengers atop the coach and another four inside, these types of coaches were also popular at notable polo matches and other sporting events, where the coaches doubled as grandstands to watch the event.
Of course, Hamilton Twombly and Florence Vanderbilt amassed immense wealth, owning properties all over the Northeast. One of their summer cottages included “Vinland” here in Newport – you may recognize this property now as McAuley Hall on the campus of Salve Regina, where we host many Cars & Coffee events! While the coach did not spend time here in Newport during the period, it has been horse-drawn in recent years here in Newport for A Weekend of Coaching, a triennial event hosted by The Preservation Society of Newport County. A must-see event for the entire family!
After its completion, this coach was utilized at the family’s stunning estate at Florham in New Jersey. Twombly’s daughter, Ruth, was an expert horsewoman, easily able to handle the four horses required to run the coach. She would often meet her father at the train station, along with two uniformed footmen and a postillion. The coach would faithfully serve the family until 1910 when the motorcar became much more popular among the wealthy. As the tale has been told, the coach was retired and replaced with a small fleet of Rolls-Royces, of course, painted in the Vanderbilt family colors. The family sold the coach in the midst of the depression during the mid-1930s. The Stables, a notable Washington D.C. restaurant during this time, acquired the coach, utilizing it to transport noteworthy guests between hotels and the restaurant. Reportedly, this coach has also been included in four presidential inaugural parades.
Specifications:
Performance: 4 genuine horse power
Traditional lacquered joined-wood coachwork by Brewster & Co.
Top Speed: Depends on the horses’ strength!