Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

INGIIAI COUNTY NOTES

179

there are three seats, front, middle and back. The middle seat is
extra wide so that four passengers can set back to back. How
many passengers can be accommodated? Eight, and by some
crowding twelve, three on each seat but one-half must of necessity ride backwards. Any outside passengers? One or two
can ride with the driver, but this in bad weather is not a very desirable perch and you must have a certain understanding or social
pull with the driver as he is very particular in his choice of seatmates. The mail bags are securely stowed in the boot under the
driver's feet and the trunks lashed on behind. Jack Stapleton,
the driver, after an inspection to see that all is secure-a coach is
like a gun, it must be loaded right to go off right-mounts the box
and with reins in hand cracks his long whip and we are off.
Down the hill toward what is now the M. C. R. R. tracks we go
at a good pace to climb the hill beyond and make the turn by the
old Camp farm, and then going southeast for some distance we
turn east at the foot of the hill where Sheridan street meets
Franklin and we are on the Plank Road proper and pass Toll
Gate No. 1. This is a toll road and the rates are a cent a mile for
one horse and two cents per mile for two horses, etc. If we are
with private conveyance and going some distance, we pay for the
whole distance and the gate keeper gives us tickets to pass us
through the other gates, as we will have to pass one of these
gates every four or five miles. At some distance east of Gate No.
1, we pass on the left a low one-story brick house, set some distance back of the road, and in an orchard of apple and other fruit
trees the old Merrill farm, and on top of the hill east the new
white house of Charles Taylor, past Charles Taylor's we come to
the bottom of the second hill and notice a house that is on our
left in a cleared field with a large sheep barn west of it with sheep
around it, and we have the Hon. John Longyear's farm. If John
is home from Congress we will no doubt see him out looking after
his sheep or building fences, for he is deeply interested in agriculture and his vacations are spent here working and looking after
his crops. Modern Congressmen when on vacations are patching
or building political fences, but John builds worm fences. Now
we leave John and climb the hill into the woods. For a mile we
have timber on both sides of the road and after descending a stiff
clay hill we come to the Agricultural College. College Hall is set