G. William Freeman

Jehu Stage Driver G. William Freeman

Benjamin Hale of Newburyport was a leader during the golden age of stagecoaches from 1800 to 1830. He rose from meager beginnings against many adversities to manage the largest and most successful stagecoach enterprise in New England. "In the stagecoach business, Benjamin Hale was a pioneer. He was a resolute, persevering man, and there was nothing worth knowing about staging which he did not know" (Robert Rantoul, 1878). Hale started as a young jehu in his father's single-coach business, and at age twenty-six, he was managing the family business. He then organized and consolidated opposing stage lines to launch the Eastern Stage Company. During the difficult times of economic hardship in Newburyport, Hale continued to provide passenger and mail service from Newburyport to Boston and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In 1814, Hale purchased a large brick building for the new Wolfe Tavern, which became the headquarters of Eastern Stage. The Eastern Stage Company was successful and became an acknowledged power in the stagecoach industry for more than twenty years. In 1833, Eastern had five hundred horses and sixty stages, was debt-free, and had no accidents or injuries. Hale was later awarded a presidential appointment as the postmaster in Newburyport, a prestigious position in town.