New-York tribune., 1890-04-13
NEU- YORH'S FTRST POSTOFFICE. z.
HOW IrTTFHs WERE DISTRIBUTED From A
COFFEEuOUsE IL TIE sEvENTEENTu CEN
TURY-THE FIRST CITY POsToTTICE IN
BROADWAY. NEAR BOWLING GREEN.

TCRN-TIE FIRST CITY Po>lbll w ~
BROADWAY. NEAR ROWLING GREEN.
The Tribune received letter from one cf its readers
few days ago asking to be Informed when ana Wh'ie
lc first post Office was established In TINS CIV. III
1923 nine years after the building Il the frs fort on
the southern end Of Manhattan Island or New Nn'r'r
dam as it was called by Dutch who founded II W."
years before the primitive posoihcc came INTO 'N'S
cnce. AZ this time the masters Of vessels bringing
letters from foreign countries deposited them III ono
OF the coffee houses along the river front. where tcy
were displayed in a rack until called for by the persons
to whom they were addressed The coHoo-hon'c In
those davs was place the merchants ana bufsh
crs and ourgcrs met TO discuss the topics ot The DAY
New Amsterdam I'm 1CCo was not large town u
consisted of Struggling groups 81 ncsiory dwelling
with high peaked roofs and gable ends fronting thc
street and tho town only extended from the attiy To
Wall-st There was a town windmill. and TINS sio'I
on tie Battery; and the Government house s'"'d J"
Water St.. near Whitehall 81. crcck RAJ thfon-W'
Broad.st al tina, time. and the market boats which
wcrc padded up the creek by stout Dutcmnrn brought
provisions and The mail, fom Hcr-cn. Gownnns. ana
Broohlyn Tic city Hall where Wall 81. now Is.
There was row II pail sdc' with cmhankWcnis nnf
feet high and broad enough on Tho tops far foot
path II was favoritc promenade for the residents
OF the day
II was not tn 1899 t'at tho INST city post pfoc ~as
established In 1910 the Po-tma,t'r1cncral % "rctt
britain 'HiaNl4rIlch fifl I't'i ''i''f ~ ''''''
letters put on ships were directed to p" s'nt wear
later post routes were established between Ncw iork
and Boston and Albany. and the malls wcso carried
twice a month on horseback In i7fo similar post
route, wcre established between New York and Plna
dcIphia. The postoricc was then in brondway "p-
postc Bowling Green and the hrst ppaihAafF wa
Richard Michel
benjamin Franklin WAS appointed Postmaster Cen
crll for the Colonies IN 1893. with small salary pto
viding The postal revenue, realized .Iaf.ei' amount
IN I7Gi the mail service between >c"N0rA ard PHIL
adclphs was increased to taoc vec.. bat % was NOT
until many years after tie Revelation Tat r' sfifi'
bag. which tie po,fl0y carried on D., h0r'. w'iH
more than half fal. for tAc people had mo- money 10
waste trashy letter, in those da,s. When the first
sulsy was used for carrying tic mails the people we7
lost IN amalcmcni nj What they characterized an cA.
tr,varant. though progressive. nnl service At the
present day mail car making four I've tIlp, dAy
than sunoicnt to tsansIor; tie mail, be
tween tho two cltcs.
Alexander Golden IN 1903 succccicl Richard Niohel
as postmaster Il tie dy II Nca N,s.. which Office
be A,I until the breaking ont 4 no Revolution.
When the British t0oa possession ~ Vow Yo.. tic
Po,torcc was abolished ard for more than seven ycar
all communication I'm writing or i' letter hni 70 De-
carried on hy stealth The post.fcc was rec.iah
lshcd after the cl0." ~ The war. and william Bed
low, from whom Icdows Island derived 1t. name.
WIS appointed rosti.a,ter. rrba tian iaruarl suc-
cccd'd Nr Ledlp" A. iofDnh,icr DID l''. ana ~ ih'
same year the ir,t Di' directory, containing '-b
Names Wa issued Tie postal revenue 'or that ycaI
was s.7~J -. The rcvcnuc for iDt year Wa. nor,
than s...OO,OOO, cAclusiyc Of the money order dc
partmcnt.
The rustma-'cr-Gcncral Of the Federal Government
was samuel O.eOOd, Iiis hcacguait"l, Wcn c'itD
he'd I'm ms civ There wcr" at that time seventy
Government postONiccs. mo CDnGic,.men Of that
day had the lriulJny privilege. II b. a matter #
record that In that ycar a member II Congress from
Ncw Jersey rode his mare 80 Washington during
President JaChsOn's ni,, term aud then ianhcd hci
back 10 New lOrh ned 10 mail coach.