CONCORD — Two years ago, Tom Prescott went before Concord officials seeking permission to construct a barn to house his “toys.”

Instead, he built a time machine.

With his children's help, Prescott, 58, has spent the last five years creating a Concord street scene straight out of the late 19th century — complete with a cobblestone street, antique clock and authentic Concord Coach, all housed in the new climate-controlled barn.

“It's a hobby,” said Prescott. “First, I bought the clock. Then, I bought the coach. Then ... well, it grew from there.”

The display features a cast-iron clock, once located outside Fickett Jewelers on Main Street in Concord, that stands 16½ feet tall. The Concord Coach, built in the late 1800s by the Abbot-Downing Co., is hitched to four life-size plastic horses. The barn, Concord, that stands 16½ feet tall. The Concord Coach, built in the late 1800s by the Abbot-Downing Co., is hitched to four life-size plastic horses. The barn, built specifically to house the street scene, stands 30 by 16 feet. Throw in wall displays, artifacts from the time period and a working player piano, and you have a hobby that has become larger than life.

Prescott owns Johnny Prescott & Son Oil Co. on Airport Road. For the Prescott children, helping Dad realize his dream took on a life of its own.

“I thought at first he was a little crazy,” said John Prescott III, Tom's son. “At first, it started out that he wanted to put the clock in a glass shelter. Then, he came across the coach and wanted to incorporate that. It was funny because when we were putting the barn up, none of the walls were up when they were putting in the cobblestones for the street, but you could see the framework of the barn. So you would have people next door looking over and saying, 'Why are they putting a street inside that building?' But you see it now, and it was a pretty good idea. It all kind of came together.”

“It was pretty incredible to get people's reaction when you tell them that you want to put a cobblestone street inside a building,” said Justin Pfister, Tom's son-in-law, who works at Johnny Prescott Oil.

“I have the most interest in this stuff, but they pick it up from me,” said Tom.

The coach is the centerpiece of the display, a life-size symbol of the way life used to be in the state capital.

“That coach was made in 1880 by the Abbot-Downing Company,” said Prescott. “They are among the premiere stagecoach makers in the world. It's a 12-passenger coach, meaning 12 can ride inside. Of these types of coaches, this is one of only 12 left in the world, one of only 10 in the country. It made the run from Glens Falls to Lake George in New York.”

Prescott would not divulge how much he paid for the coach (he bought it in 2009 from the widow of a collector who kept it in excellent condition) or what he has spent to bring the streetscape to life.

“I've got a lot of money into it, but I'd prefer not to say,” said Prescott. “But I will say that those coaches cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, as well as the clock.”

When Prescott bought the clock and removed it from Main Street, the sale created a stir. Some residents were upset that he removed it.

Prescott plans to hold an open house next weekend to debut his display to the Greater Concord community, and he hopes people appreciate the work that has been put into restoring the clock, coach and artifacts to their former glory.

“I like to remember how things were,” said Prescott. “Refurbishing that clock was a five-year project. We only finished it a couple of weeks ago, when a woman put the final touch-ups to the gold trim on it. It looks and works like new.

“The clock is 122 years old, and this coach is 132 years old. What's amazing is they used to operate a half a mile down the street from each other, then were separated, and now they are back together again. And they both still work, which is incredible.”

Prescott's open house is set for Saturday and Sunday, June 23 and 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 122 Airport Road, Concord. The public is invited.

“Eventually, I want to get the fourth-graders of New Hampshire in here,'' Prescott said. “In fourth grade, students learn about New Hampshire history, so a couple of schools have already asked me if they can bring busloads of fourth-graders over so they can see the displays. I'm looking forward to that. I want to involve schools all over the state.”

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Paul Feely may be reached at pfeely@unionleader.com.