Picture courtesy of wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Weller#/media/File:William_Weller_sat_for_this_portrait,_by_Paul_Kane,_in_1835.png
At the north end of Victoria Park, King Street, Cobourg
Commemoration
This resident of Cobourg was the province’s leading stagecoach proprietor from about 1830 to 1856. His Royal Mail Line ran from Hamilton to Montreal with links to other centres. In February, 1840, Weller drove the Governor0General Charles Poulett Thomson, from Toronto to Montreal in the record time of 37 hours and 40 minutes. Three times mayor of Cobourg, he was also chairman of the Harbour Commission, president of the Cobourg-Rice Lake Plank Road Company and organizer of the International Telegraph Company.
Background
Weller was born in Vermont and moved to this area with his family. The stage coach line was purchased by Weller and a partner in 1829 and he became sole owner in 1830. He extended the service from Kingston to Montreal and from Toronto to Niagara.
Stagecoaches were not just vehicles of the Old West. They covered much of Europe and colonial North America before the development of the railroads. They should be thought of as we would an intercity bus today. The term “stage” refers to the process of staging teams of horses along the way, allowing the same coach to continue on with replacement animals. The idea is not unlike a bus stopping for gas, a bite to eat and a comfort rest before continuing.