6th Avenue looking South from Waverly St - 1860

6th Ave
The only remaining building from this photograph of 6th avenue in 1860 is St. Joseph's Church - recognizable from its triangular roof. Everything else reminds one more of a western movie than a great eastern metropolis.

Notice the rails running down the center of the avenue. These were for horse drawn omni-buses like the ones seen below.

The Omnibus
New York's first regular street transportation was by oxcart on Broadway as far north as Houston Street. Along this route at regular intervals passed slow-plodding animals drawing heavy, creaking wagons and carts, which were laden with farm produce on their way to town and with merchandise on the way north.

The wretched condition of the Island's roads made the rail-guided omnibus far preferable to the stagecoach for much of the 19th century.

 

6th Avenue Omnibus c.1870

For almost a century the stagecoaches monopolized the rapid transit of Manhattan, giving way to omnibuses early in the nineteenth century. Since the omnibuses were themselves horse-drawn, the change was merely one of degree. The omnibus was a stagecoach grown larger and adapted to city needs, chief of which were greater capacity, and shorter runs. In 1832, rails were laid down the center of 4th avenue, so that horse-drawn omnibuses could ride along the rails, creating a much smoother ride. By 1855, 3 more avenues had been 'railed,' including 6th avenue. By 1866, New York's population exceeded 700,000, and twelve horse-drawn lines carried about 60,000,000 passengers.

Omnibuses would remain in service throughout the 19th century, though the introduction of elevated trains in 1870's would greatly reduce their traffic. Click here for more on elevated trains in Manhattan.

The term 'omnibus' came from the latin 'omni,' meaning 'all,' since omnibuses made no distinction based on class or race.