The Concord Coach - Concord Group Insurance
Our Downing Coach #80 was built by Lewis Downing and Son in 1850. Abbot-Downing, known worldwide for their dedication, skilled artisans and strict standards of quality, fashioned these fine coaches to withstand the rugged ruts, rocks, and ravines of New England, the West and beyond. Coach #80 was ordered for a stage line in Lake Village, New Hampshire, now known as Lakeport. Our coach has escaped three fires and has passed through the hands of many, most notably Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company, who displayed the coach at his Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA.
In 1959, the coach was returned to New Hampshire to be placed in a historical exhibit, but plans fell through, and the coach was later acquired by Edward Rowse in 1970.
Mr. Rowse began the detailed restoration with a meticulous eye for craftsmanship and in 1971, sold Coach #80 to The Concord Group, as the Company had adopted the Concord Coach as its symbol for the company.
The stagecoach was relocated to our corporate office in Concord, New Hampshire after a passing military jet created a sonic boom, cracking an office window, and providing the opportunity to move the coach into an exhibit space for public viewing and educational tours for multiple generations of students in our community.
With the recent announcement of our corporate office relocation, work is underway to find a new location for our coach within the city of Concord and available for public viewing.