Essays on Sussex County and New Jersey Postal History

EARLY TRAVEL & MAIL TRANSPORT IN NJ ~ Len PeckAs roads improved and turnpikes became more prevalent the stagecoach lines became theprime factor in carrying the mails. This continued until the advent of the railroads. In New Jerseyin 1834, the mail contractor, James Reeside, who held the contract for carrying the mail betweenNew York and Philadelphia, engaged the Camden and Amboy Railroad to carry the mail betweenthose two points. The space thus released on the stage enabled him to carry more passengers at agreater profit while still getting a return on his mail contract. This arrangement was short-lived,however, as his mail contract expired on December 5, 1835 at which time the new contract wasplaced directly with the railroad.By 1838 the number of railroads operating in the United States had grown to such an extentthat Congress passed a bill making all railroads mail carriers. This led to the development of aspecial mail car and the Railroad Post Office with the automatic pickup of mail pouches by trains onthe move. Mail clerks in the mail car would then sort the mail for drop off at other stations on thatrun or hold it to its destination for transfer to another train or railroad.Fig. 5: “Postmistress” at a smallstation where there was no mailcrane, holding a bag to be caughtby a passing train! FromHarper’s & Brothers “Harper’sWeekly (1875), reprinted inHarlow. 4 Although Harper’sreferred to this person as apostmistress, in the eyes of thePost Office, all were titledpostmasters, regardless of sex.ENDNOTES:1 Konwiser, Harry M., Colonial and Revolutionary Posts, Dietz Printing Co., Publishers, Richmond, VA, 1931.2 Harlow, Alvin F., Old Post Bags, published by D. Appleton & Co., New York and London, 1928, pp 268-9:“Earlier Years of the American Post Office.”3 Konweiser, ob cit.4 Harlow, ob cit., facing page 406.NJPH 38Vol. 36/No. 1February 2008 Whole No. 16931