That is super informative and JUST what I was interested in. Thank you!

It’s so hard to find pictures for that. I’ll see if I can find the ones I referenced. But there was essentially was a bench they sat on, the top of the hack with an overhang that sometimes had a curtain that could be tugged around to protect from rain, a small sliding door behind their head to communicate with the driver, and the thing I learned was a double or single door that folded over the legs to protect from mud getting splattered up on their clothes. And this was ontop of the lower mud guard that protected against the horses hooves and road debris. Most of that came through reading some eyewitness experiences, and I did find a few pictures, but I can’t remember if I marked them or not. You can sort of see it in this picture: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/592434525995837500/ It’s a bit fancier than an everyday hack, but you can see the elements I’m talking about for the most part. What I found fascinating is the driver had to release the door. It sounds like the perfect way to prevent people from hopping out of the hack and not paying their fare.

I REALLY need you to send me some facts about the hackney carriages, similar to those in the story. I kept trying to picture how things would have looked in the scenes in or involving a hack and I just can’t quite figure it out. I’d love to see a diagram, maybe, or at least what the inside looked like! All of it is so fascinating.

Glad you found it interesting. I only saw a very small bit of Philly. We did a ride on bus tour, but it was just SOOOO much to see in so little time.

Thanks! One day I’ll get my pretzel. Until then, the ones at Sam’s club are my favorite.

Yay! I’m working on creating more posts like these throughout the year, it just takes a lot of extra time and work. 🙂