Imagine you’re at Andover’s Potter Place Railroad Station in the late 1800s. It’s between train arrivals and, although there’s activity in the station, it’s a quiet moment outside. Then, you hear the clop, clop of a team of horses coming into the village. 

Soon you’re able to see that it’s the Concord Coach approaching the station with passengers who will board the next train. You might hear the call of the coach driver as he commands the team to stop, and then the call to the passengers to disembark. At that time, you might not think you are witnessing something special, but in today’s 21st-century world you would be witnessing something very special. 

This stagecoach scene was an important part of what built the communities around us, here in central New Hampshire. We can’t go back to that time, but we can preserve artifacts from the past that might give us a way to imagine living in a time gone by. Andover’s Concord Coach is one of those artifacts. 

The Andover Historical Society (AHS) is working to raise funds for the construction of a Display Barn, located at the AHS campus, to house the coach and provide more accessibility to the public. As of this writing, the sitework and cement slab have been completed. The AHS coach Committee is looking at quotes from local building manufacturers to suit the design originally brought forward by the Andover Lions Club. 

With about $12,000 on hand and an estimated building cost of about $30,000, the project is within striking distance. Any size donation is appreciated, from contributing at the donation cans at JJ’s Market or Pizza Chef to larger donations that can be given by mail to AHS, PO Box 167, Andover, NH 03216; or donate online at www.andoverhistory.org/make-a-donation; or by contacting Doug Phelps at 802 310-1045.