The stagecoach traveled on the road between Westerville and Columbus carrying mail and passengers. A stagecoach is a four-wheeled vehicle pulled by a team of horses. It was used to transport paying passengers from one location to another. It could travel about five miles an hour. At either end of the trip were places called stagecoach “stops” where passengers could rest and get food. While it was most desirable to ride inside the enclosed vehicle some passengers did ride outside if there was not room in the interior.
The best known stagecoach driver in Westerville was George Stoner, who owned the stagecoach stop on the plank road (still standing two doors north of the CVS on State Street). It has been reported that George Stoner could make the 13-mile journey from Columbus to Westerville in two hours or an hour and a half if challenged. His stagecoach stop was used to harbor people escaping slavery that he brought hidden in the luggage compartment of his vehicle.
The Stoner House building was used as a stagecoach stop by George Stoner and also as a hiding place for people escaping slavery. An Ohio Bicenntennial marker was placed on the north side of the building. Photo dated 1948
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