Letter: First settlers, fast horses?
Published: 4/9/2021 9:53:27 AM
Historian James W. Spain II always gives us an interesting glimpse into Concord’s past. However, I stumbled over his assertion (City of Taverns, April 4) that the “original settlers” were attracted to Concord because “Portsmouth was just an hour away on a strong horse traveling the early highway…” Of course, the white Massachusetts Bay Colony investors Spain had in mind were not the “original” settlers. Native Americans are believed to have arrived in this area around the end of the last glacial period some 11,500 years ago.
Also, I’m wondering what sort of horses Spain had in mind that could get from Concord to Portsmouth in an hour? The turnpike (incorporated in 1796) that connected the two cities was 36 miles long. The two-horse coaches in use at the time went about 5 mph, so Concord to Portsmouth would have been a long day trip. A single horse and rider would have gone considerably faster, a