Fountain Hill Estate, built by Charles Davenport, expanded after the Civil War by Alvin Adams. Located on tract of land north of Mount Auburn Street. Charles Davenport built a 2-story bracketed Italianate mansion with porches and a cupola, a summer house, a 2 story barn (also with a cupola), and a fountain complete with statues. This impressed the locals and gave the estate the name "Fountain Hill." Charles Davenport built an omnibus in 1834 to replace the usual stagecoach style: a longer vehicle entered from the end with an aisle between the seats. Eventually this street-car style led to rail road passenger cars similarly arranged -- in contrast to overseas models with a series of compartments along one side and an aisle on the other. This style is still used today as the North American style on buses and trains. Alvin Adams was the founder of Adams and Company, a forerunner to Adams Express, one of the first companies to act as a carrier for express shipments by rail in the United States. Adams and Company provided shippers with a complete shipping solution, picking up goods at the shipper's location, carrying them to the railroad terminal, and then delivering them from the distant railroad terminal to the recipient's door.
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