The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-03-19
Early Post Office Matters.
SECOND PAPER.


humble beginning in the toilsome and il
frequent Journeys of the post rider
through the older parts of the state, his
displacement by the stage coach, to give
way in its turn to the railroad, the eStab
lishment of post offices, and the genera
history of the transmission ofintelllgence
forms one of the most interesting and one
of the most neglected chapters in Local
history.
1t is singular how little historians
great and.small, have had to say upon this
topic. | have searched in vain through
many town histories, gazetteers and the
like, to find when the first post offices
were established, the location OF the earli-
est postal routes, and the time when the
stages began to run, in the Localities
whose events they are supposed to record.
There are town histories, so called,
which fail to mention such important
events as the building of the first railroad
on their soil or any precise account OF the
stage line which proceeded it, or any allu-
sion to the manner in which the earlier
settlers communicated with the world.
Nothing, not even the free school sys-
tenn, can compare, in Importance, as an
aid in the rapid spread of general educa-
ton and enlightenment, with cheap post
age and quick communication. And yet,
a high degree of intelligence and public
spirit existed in many communities IN
Vermont before there were any post OIL
ces at all. A circulation library was eS-
tablished in Brooktield, in this state in
1891, which still exists, but there was no
post office in that town for several years
later.
established a public library which was in
corporated by the legislature of that year.
Yet it was six or seven years after that
before Bradford had post office. II we
may judge from the character OF the
earliest books which remain, the reading
i l. B1rn rrn1 40 tsG nfrn
were fully as well informed as their sue
cesSorS are now.
A town in our day, which had as many
inhabitants as Bradford had then, and
which has no post office III we could CON
ceive such thing as possible), would be
considered in sad need OF the missionary
and the Schoolmaster.
Such a town, not far enough along on
the road to civilization to have a post
office, whose principal citizens should es-
tablish a public library, whose volumes
should manifest such discerning taste as
that one in Bradford in 1886, is something
we cannot comprehend as possible IN
these days. We must not attempt to e.
construct the past according to our idea
of the present.
In previous paper some account was
given of the earliest post routes IN this
brought out by it's publication, which
seem worthy to be recorded in second
paper
Before post offices were established a
system of mutual convenience made 1t
point for any one about to take journey
to announce the fact, and to carry such
letters as were waiting chance to be sent
in that direction. Letters from the set
Elements north of NeWbury were gener
ally sent to Col. Johnson'S store to be sent
along as he saw opportunity.
Military information during the ReVO-
pIplp NV
special messengers. OF the matter more
urgent several men were sent that some
one of them would reach his destination.
In June, 49,, Shem Kentfield was hanged
as spy at Albany. He made a confess
sion of an extensive plot, one of whose
details was the capture of General Jacob
Bayley of Newbury, whom the British in
Canada justly regarded as their most Wig
ilent and dangerous enemy. Messengers
were at once sent across the country by
different routes to warn Bayley OF his dan
ger. one OF these reached Newbury be-
fore sunrise of the day on which the at
tempt was actually made The general {
was then on his guard and watching for $
the more precise warning which came {
later. This was June IA, 1882, and not the !
18th, as stated by Rev. Grant Powers and |
later writer's who have copied his error. I
When the post rider first started on his I
rounds in 1855, his going and coming prob I
ably made little change in the system of V
mutual convenience. Postage was dear v
and money was scarce. Only few let c
ters were sent by him, from those where q
business was urgent. There was this adj
vantage, that while letter might be sent o
10 Boston any day by chance traveller, o
there would be opportunity on fixed days.
Letter postage was six cents for single L
etter which was carried less than thirty c
miles, there being an increase for each II
fifty miles additional. C
Single letters were those which consist
I'd of only one sheet, large or small. Two o
sheets made a double letter, and paid II
double postage. 1t was thus an object c
With persons who wrote long letters to use :
rs large size sheets as possible, and as I
envelopes were not then invented, the u
folding of sheet of foolscap in such L
manner as to leave the smallest possible S
Ipace for the outside. and at the same v
lime secure the written portion from the
curious eye, was a matter upon which peO-
Die exercised no small ingenuity.
Where people wrote few letters they I
made longer ones, and correspondence p
was more of an art than now. People
were more verbose and circumStantial. o
Public papers were equally so-the Fast d
Day proclamation of Governor Skinner of v
this state in 1919, would fill about one and t
Dne-half columns of the OPINION
and was half sermon and half stump q
speech I
In 1896 it took six weeks for a letter q
kTOm OHlO 10 GcdCl N6WDuIy, anu IHe
postage was twenty-five cents from Buff t
falo. There are people living who re- G
member TO have paid seventy-five cents t.
postage on letter.
At the beginning of the century it took Il
about eight days for letter to come here "
from New York, and five from Hartford. W
Even as late as 1924, the time for letter CT
from Albany was from five to six days and
from Buffalo ten days. The average post u
lge collected on letters received at New II
bury in september of that year was tif- v
zen cents. OF
From an old account book kept by Da- W
nd johnson, the postmaster of Newbury, OF
n the early years of the century, some 1t
PARTICULARS are gathered IL
1t will be remembered that in 1900 the So
POSTAL service had just been extended ii
throughout Peacham to Danville, but
Iewbury was still the post Office for
considerable territory on both sides of
he river. For the quarter ending April
1901, the amount collected for unpaid
stters received through the mail was
1929 IL, the postage upon letters pre- in
I n a IN