Carlisle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Old Livery Stable

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2024

1. The Old Livery Stable Marker

Inscription. John Stuart Searight, a businessman and member of the town council, opened a livery and boarding stable on this spot in 1890. Liveries provided many services to the community. Here the public could hire horses, carriages, buggies, surreys and cabs for weddings, funerals and other social functions. Ponies and mule teams could be rented for farm labor, and the livery also provided boarding for horses.

In 1905 Searight sold the livery to his competitor William H. Bretz. Bretz, who entered the livery business in 1866, served on the town council and also managed a Carlisle opera house for many years.

When Geronimo and other American Indian chiefs were invited to ride in the inaugural parade of President Theodore Roosevelt in Washington in March 1905, Bretz's Livery provided their ponies.

In 1911 J. E. Einstein joined the business. Bretz died in 1915, and E. L. Adams operated the livery for several more years before it finally closed. The era of the horse was at an end.

[Captions]
Top: Coachman in front of Bretz's Livery early 1900's
Bottom: American Indian chiefs mounted on horses loaned by Bretz's

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Livery for their ride in the inaugural parade of President Theodore Roosevelt, 1905. Left to right: Little Plum, Buckskin Charley, Geronimo, Quanah Parker, Hollow Horn Bear, and American Horse.

Photos courtesy of the Cumberland County Historical Society

Erected by Historic Carlisle, Inc.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1905.

Location. 40° 12.024′ N, 77° 11.417′ W. Marker is in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County. It can be reached from West Pomfret Street west of South Hanover Street, on the right when traveling west. Marker is at a municipal parking garage located behind a row of commercial buildings. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 42 W Pomfret St, Carlisle PA 17013, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania and in Greater Harrisburg.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2024

2. The Old Livery Stable Marker

Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Green Tree Inn (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Carlisle First World War Memorial (about 300 feet away); Carlisle Court House (about 300 feet away); Blaine House (about 300 feet away); "250 Years of Cumberland County" (about 400 feet away); Vietnam War Memorial (about 400 feet away); Col. Robert Magaw (about 400 feet away); Carlisle Public Square (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Carlisle.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 283 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 9, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.