Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1913-10-23
Early Mail Facilities.

The mail facilities OF Shepherdstown
have at last been improved by the simple
| expedient OF establishing star route
| from KearneySvile, on the main line OF
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, TO this
place. For many years past the early
mail, including the daily papers, has been
carried over the Western Maryland from
Baltimore to HagerStown, thence south
over the Norfolk & Western Railway.
The Western Maryland train was so often
late, however, that it missed the connec-
ton more than half OF the time, and the
mail remained in HagerS town until B
O'Clock in the evening. Then for time
the mail was sent by the b. & o. from
Baltimore, lying at Shenandoah Junction
until it was brought here by the n. q w.
accommodation train at 1871. / his was
so unsatisfactory TO the business people
and other persons here that efforts were
made TO have the mail carried from kear-
neysville by star route, and this has finally
been put in effect by the postofllce de-
partment. The mail train is due at Kear-
neysville at 6.10 a. NJ, and the Baltimore
daily papers and other mail are now de-
livered at ShepherdStoWn before clock
in the morning, the earliest we have ever
gotten any mail. ]. d. Billmyer is carry
ing the mail for the present, using an au-
tomobile for this purpose. The distance
his tive miles.
The establishment of mail route
between Kearneysville and Shepherds
town recalls TO our older folks the days
of forty or more years ago, when we
got our single daily mail by this same
route. Some will recall when Elias Ba-
ker was postmaster and the poStofflce
was in the David Billmyer store in the
old building at the corner OF German and
Church streets. When Butch Crowl
drove up with Adams's famous old stage
coach and threw of the rather lean mail
bag, crowd would quickly gather around
the window OF the store. he poStmaS-
fer would take the bundle Of letterS-not
very large one-and call out the name
of the person to whom the miSSive was
addressed. Ii that person or some one
TO represent him answered, the letter
was passed out-if no response was made
if was placed in pigeon-hole until called
for. Then the papers were disposed OF
IN the same way. Ii did not take very
long TO distribute the mail. There were
conparatively few letters and Still lewer
daily papers-perhaps half dozen copies
ofthe Baltimore Sun and American, where
now there are hundreds OF these and other
daily papers. The stage, which carrie9
mail. passengers and express, was eagerly
awaited. and its daily arrival about
O'Clock was the event OF the day. .
M. B. Baker, the well-known merchant
of this place, was in charge OF the post
office at the time referred to. His father
was i'll for year or more, and after his
death the commission was continued IN
Mrs Bakers name, the son attending to
the postal affairs. Mr.. Baker recalls
many interesting incidents connected
with the primitive methods then in vogue,
lanes A. Adams carried the mail between
Shepherdstown and Kearneysvllle foI a
dollar wear, so as to prevent any COM
netitor from getting the contract and thus
running a rival stage line. Boonsboro,
Md. got its mail through the Shepherds
town postoffice, George Gilbert, OF that
place, having stage route by way OF
keedysville and SharpSburg.
II is rather peculiar that after having
beeu abandoned for more than thirty
wears this route has to be again Iesorleo
10 in order to secure an early mail.