Great Republic Sled

February 01, 2022 Posted by: David R. Daly

Sledding was a popular winter activity in nineteenth century America, but has roots stretching back to ancient Egypt when sleds were used as a form of transport for moving heavy objects. Native peoples of northern Canada also used sleds in the form known as “toboggans” to transport belongings and supplies over snow-covered terrain.

Pictured here is a sled given to Charles (Charley) Appleton Longfellow when he was a nine-year-old boy in 1854. Charley’s mother Fanny Appleton Longfellow recorded the occasion of the sled being presented to her son in a January 1854 journal entry, writing “Charley took to skating & fell twice into Mr. Worcester’s pond to our great alarm. He then was diverted to coasting & got a fine new sled called “the Great Republic.” The hand-painted sled with metal runners was a splendid gift and followed an earlier one referenced in one of Henry W. Longfellow’s journal entries from February 1848 where he recorded “In the afternoon dragged Charley on his new sled over snow and ice in the garden, to his great delight.”

Sledding was already a popular wintertime activity in the 1850s, as evidenced by an engraving by Winslow Homer made in 1857 titled “Coasting Out of Doors” that features children on sleds of the same type as the one given to Charley Longfellow. During this period many sleds were homemade, as commercially available examples were generally costly. Sledding was even occasionally lauded for its health benefits, an 1886 article from the St. Louis Post – Dispatch stated “Coasting, like a patent medicine, is a good thing. Taken moderately, it is perfectly harmless. Taken in medium sized doses, it acts on the system gently and easily. It tones up the nerves and develops the muscles. It brings a sparkle to the eyes and a glow of health to the cheek. Taken in large doses, it develops the respiratory organs, gives a strong appetite, and produces calm and peaceful sleep.” When the Paris Mfg. Company in Maine began producing sleds in 1861 sledding’s popularity increased, and it remains a highly anticipated winter activity by many children to this day.