On Sept. 9, 1839, W.P. Roach advertised his new post coach service traveling from Bowling Green to Memphis, Tenn., in four days.

These coaches also carried the mail with a postal employee hired to guard the coach. There were no paved roads, travelers were subject to seasonal challenges and other dangers and riverboat travel – while faster – was limited by location.

At that time, a trip of that length (charged by the mile) would have cost about $17, or $450 in today’s money.

– “Way Back When in Warren County” is compiled by researchers at the Warren County Public Library and appears twice weekly in the Bowling Green Daily News. For more information about the library, visit warrenpl.org.