The Whereabouts of the Pelham Coach: Colonel Delancey Kane's Famed 19th Century Tally-Ho Road Coach
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In 1876 a horse-drawn road coach known as “The Pelham Coach” (also known, informally, as the "Tally-Ho") began running between New York City’s Hotel Brunswick and the “Pelham Manor” of yore. This road coach was not a simple hired coach that ferried passengers from New York City. Rather, this road coach was driven by Colonel DeLancey Kane, one of the so-called “millionaire coachmen,” who engaged in a sport known as “public coaching” or “road coaching” as it sometimes was called. The purpose of the sport was to rush the carriage between designated points on a specified schedule, with quick changes of horses at strategic points along the way, and to maintain that schedule rigorously.
Colonel DeLancey Kane became quite famous for his handling of The Pelham Coach, a bright canary yellow coach that was cheered along its route from the Hotel Brunswick in New York City to Pelham Bridge in the Town of Pelham and, later, along Shore Road into New Rochelle. The iconic image of the Tally Ho! immediately below appeared on song sheets, in etchings and engravings distributed throughout the United States. It shows The Pelham Coach.
Click on Image to Enlarge.
Colonel Kane changed the terminus of the Tally Ho! a number of times. In various years the coach traveled to the Lorillard cottage (Arcularius Hotel) at Pelham Bridge, the Pelham Bridge Hotel, the Huguenot House in New Rochelle, and a number of other locations in the region in and around Pelham. The Tally Ho! route always, however, either terminated at Pelham Bridge or continued through Pelham along Shore Road past the settlement of Bartow and Bolton Priory on its way to New Rochelle.
The first "Coaching Season" for the Delancey Kane's Tally Ho! was in 1876. According to a number of sources, Delancey Kane ran his Pelham Coach at least during the coaching seasons of 1876, 1877, 1880, and 1882.
Kane, who reportedly was the first to "put on a public coach" in sport, inspired others. For example, as I have noted before, On April 25, 1881 a coach named the Tantivy was put on the road to Tarrytown by Colonel W. Jay, George Peabody Wetmore, T. A. Havemeyer, Hugo O. Fritsch, Isaac Bel, Jr., and F. Bronson. The Tantivy ran at least six months that year and, the following year, was put back on the road to Yonkers. In 1884, 1887, and 1889, public coaches were run by J. Roosevelt Roosevelt, C. Oliver Iselin, F. Bronson, R. W. Rives, and the Coaching Club (of New York). See Whitney, Caspar W., "Evolution of the Country Club" in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. XC, No. DXXXV, pp. 16 & 28 (Dec., 1894).
I have written for many years and on many occasions about the Pelham Coach established by Col. Delancey Kane in 1876. For dozens of examples, see the list of articles with links at the end of today's Historic Pelham Blog article.
A fascinating article about the current location of the Pelham Coach appeared in the August, 2009 issue of The Carriage Journal, the journal of the Carriage Association of America. The article describes recent events leading to a change in the ownership and location of the Pelham Coach since I last visited that issue more than thirteen years ago in 2005. See Fri., Feb. 11, 2005: Col. Delancey Kane's "Pelham Coach", Also Known as The Tally-Ho, Is Located. The wonderful article, by Ken Wheeling is available within Google Books. See Wheeling, Ken, "The Tally-Ho: A Road Coach," in The Carriage Journal, Vol. 47, No. 5, p. 261 (Oct. 2009).
Although, as one would expect, Ken Wheeling's article focuses on the coach itself, the article also includes fascinating information about the color lithograph of the Pelham Coach included above (and in a number of other Historic Pelham Blog articles). The lithograph was published by J. B. Brewster & Co., a New York City firm. It was taken from a massive five-foot-long painting on the coach created by Philadelphia artist Henry C. Bispham who was "more known for his western art." According to Ken Wheeling's article:
"It was also in 1876 that the Tally-Ho made its first appearance in art. The Philadelphia artist Henry C. Bispham (1841-1882) painted a five-foot canvas depicting the coach and gave a reception at the Brunswick Hotel to unveil it.
'The picture . . . represents the coach and four-in-hand in a swinging trot out on the road, the Colonel driving and the horses well in hand, the nigh leader pacing and the others trotting. The seats and top of the coach are filled with passengers, the box seat occupied by Colonel Kane and his wife, and just behind are seated Colonel Jay, the president of the Coaching Club; Mr. Sherman and Colonel Kane's brother, with the guard standing and sounding the horn. The back seats are occupied by several passengers denoting the business element of the establishment. Inside is one of the old-fashioned elderly women who have seen enough of this world to be content with quiet and retirement. The horses are portraits and careful attention has been paid to the details of the gold mounted harness. The extra straw collar hangs at the side of the coach, to be used in emergencies, and on the side under the window is painted in gilt letters the sign, 'Mott Haven and Pelham Bridge' . . ."
Id., p. 264 (endnotes omitted).
According to Ken Wheeling's article, the Pelham Coach was built by Holland & Holland of Oxford Street in London. The article states:
"John Holland was Master of the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers in 1873, exhibiting his carriages five years later at the Paris Exhibition of 1878. Ten years later the company was owned by V. Kesterton. In 1912, Thrupp & Maberly bought out the business along with Wyburn & Co. and Silk & Sons. Holland & Holland coaches were highly desirable then and very much prized today."
Id., p. 261.
The Pelham Coach, as the Tally-Ho was called by many, was a striking sight. As the image at the outset of today's Historic Pelham Blog posting shows, it was a striking canary yellow (with matching risers). As noted by Ken Wheeling, the "lettering was red, highlighted in black. When used for public coaching, the names of the terminal cities were painted in the crest panels, and the New York terminus points were altered accordingly". Id., p. 262.
When last I wrote (in 2005) of the whereabouts of the Pelham Coach, it was in the possession of the Museum of the City of New York. At the time, I noted:
"The Pelham Coach still exists. I have corresponded with Ms. Melanie Bower, Collections Access Associate of the Museum of the City of New York. On February 10 she wrote me saying '[t]he Museum does own the Tally-ho coach used by Col. Delancey [Kane]. The coach is currently stored in the Museum's off-site curatorial facility. While it is possible to schedule an appointment to view the coach in storage, it is currently not on display at the Museum.'"
Since then, ownership of the coach has changed, as has its location. Ken Wheeling has detailed the provenance and location of the Pelham Coach as follows:
"Colonel DeLancey Kane died on Easter Sunday, April 3, 1915, ironically preceded in death by Colonel William Jay on March 28. The two founders of the Coaching Club, both of whom had contributed so much to its success, died within days of each other. The Tally-Ho remained at 'The Paddocks,' Colonel and Mrs. Kane's home in New Rochelle, New Jersey, until 1933, when Mrs. Kane donated it to the Museum of the City of New York. In September 2008, ownership of the coach was transferred to the Long island Museum of American Art, History & Carriages. . . . Any subsequent chapters remain to be 'written.'"
Id., p. 267 (endnotes omitted).
The Pelham Coach that played a role in making Pelham famous in the 19th century as a playground of the rich and famous lives on. Indeed, its "subsequent chapters remain to be written."
* * * * *
Below is a list of articles and blog postings that I previously have posted regarding the subject of "Coaching to Pelham."
Tue., Apr. 10, 2018: Crash of Col. Delancey Kane's "Pelham Coach" During its First Season in 1876.
Mon., Feb. 12, 2018: Is This a Rare Photograph of the Famed Pelham Coach?
Tue., Aug. 15, 2017: 1877 Advertisement for Colonel Delancey Kane's Pelham Coach Known as the "Tally Ho".
Bell, Blake A., Col. Delancey Kane and "The Pelham Coach" (Sep. 2003).
Thu., Jul. 28, 2016: The Chicago Tribune Lampooned Coaching to Pelham in 1884.
Wed., Jul. 30, 2014: Yet Another Attempt in 1894 to Resurrect the Glory Days of Coaching to Pelham.
Tue., Jul. 29, 2014: Wonderful Description of Coaching to Pelham on the Tally-Ho's First Trip of the Season on May 1, 1882.
Wed., Apr. 14, 2010: Col. Delancey Kane Changes the Timing and Route of The Pelham Coach in 1876.
Tue., Sep. 08, 2009: 1877 Advertisement with Timetable for the Tally Ho Coach to Pelham.
Mon., Mar. 23, 2009: The Greyhound and the Tantivy-- The Four-in-Hand Coaches that Succeeded Col. Delancey Kane's "Tally-Ho" to Pelham.
Fri., Jan. 16, 2009: The Final Trip of the First Season of Col. Delancey Kane's "New-Rochelle and Pelham Four-in-Hand Coach Line" in 1876.
Thu., Jan. 15, 2009: The First Trip of Col. Delancey Kane's "New-Rochelle and Pelham Four-in-Hand Coach Line" on May 1, 1876.
Thu., Mar. 06, 2008: Auctioning the Tantivy's Horses at the Close of the 1886 Coaching Season.
Wed., Mar. 05, 2008: Coaching to Pelham: The Tantivy Has an Accident on its Way to Pelham in 1886.
Thu., Jan. 24, 2008: An Account of the First Trip of Colonel Delancey Kane's Tally-Ho to Open the 1880 Coaching Season.
Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008: Brief "History of Coaching" Published in 1891 Shows Ties of Sport to Pelham, New York
Thursday, August 3, 2006: Images of Colonel Delancey Kane and His "Pelham Coach" Published in 1878.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005: Taunting the Tantivy Coach on its Way to Pelham: 1886.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005: 1882 Engraving Shows Opening of Coaching Season From Hotel Brunswick to Pelham Bridge.
Thu., Jun. 09, 2005: Coaching to Pelham: Colonel Delancey Astor Kane Did Not Operate the Only Coach to Pelham.
Fri., Feb. 11, 2005: Col. Delancey Kane's "Pelham Coach", Also Known as The Tally-Ho, Is Located.
Bell, Blake A., Col. Delancey Kane and "The Pelham Coach", The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XII, No. 38, Sept. 26, 2003, p. 1, col. 1.
Labels: 1876, 2008, Arcularius Hotel, Delancey Kane, Hotel Brunswick, Pelham Coach, Recreation, Sport, Sports, Tally Ho, Tally-Ho
posted by Blake A. Bell @ 4:32 AM
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