The Stamford Historical Society
PHOTO ARCHIVIST’S SELECTION OF THE MONTH: October 2001
Stamford Post Offices
The
illustrated brochure at right is available for review in the Vertical
Files of the Marcus Research Library at the Stamford Historical
Society. Published by the Postal History Society of Connecticut in association with the Stamford Historical Society, it gives
an overview of Stamford's postal history through 1977 and lists the postmasters.
In the first hundred years there were three postal systems in operation moving through Stamford.
a) The Parliamentary Post.
b) The Constitutional Post.
c) The Confederation Post.
Benjamin Franklin was appointed the Postmaster General for the United Colonies. His ledger lists the 5th day of January 1776 as the first reported date for a post office or postmaster in Stamford. Originally, post offices were typically located in in stores or homes of the postmasters. The first Federal Post Office of 1804 was located in a corner grocery store at 427 Main Street.
Below are some early photos of post offices in Stamford.
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1853-1883 (second downtown location) 410 Main Street, west of the Union House Hotel. |
| Glenbrook
Post Office
at 35 Courtland Avenue,
c. 1912. Postmistress Minnie (Mary?) Slausen at left Grocery store keeper Louisa Zwart at right Postcard |
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Springdale Post Office ca. 1908 Post office on left, railroad station on right. Postcard |
| From 1883 to 1904, the downtown Post Office was located in the Townhall. We do not have a photo of the intact office, however, we recently acquired a photo showing the burnt out place after the 1904 fire.
After temporary quarters at the upper floor of the C.O. Miller Building, the Post Office moved to the Burlington Arcade, where it was located until 1914, when it was moved to the Looney-Berg Building on Atlantic Street, next to the Stamford Theater. There it remained until the current facility on Atlantic Street was built. Bids were taken on November 3, 1914. The building was completed 18 months later at a cost of $118,000. Its letter boxes were made by Yale & Towne, and the interior bronze work by Tiffany & Co. of New York.
Thanks to a 1995 donation by the Post Office, we have construction photos from 1915. Please click on the images to see larger ones. |
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| April 5, 1915 | May 3, 1915 | May 3, 1915 | ||
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| not dated | June 3, 1915 | July 1, 1915 | July 1, 1915 | August 5, 1915 |
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| August 5, 1915 | September 8, 1915 | October 4, 1915 | October 4, 1915 | November 1, 1915 |
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| November 1, 1915 | not dated | December 1, 1915 | December 1, 1915 | not dated |
Which of the two postcards is correct? I suspect the one on the right…
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| postmarked 1916 | postmarked 1928 |
Will the 1939 addition to this National Register-listed building be saved?
See the article below, courtesy Historic Neighborhood
News, Fall 2001
of the Historic Neighborhood Preservation Program, Inc.
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Photos © Renée Kahn |
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…and the "Death of a Tree"
Post Office People
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| in 1884, the Post Office had only four employees (names are unknown) | Robert Whittaker, Postmaster 1921-1925 |
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| Stamford Post Office Personnel, 1926 | |
Devices
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Glenbrook Mailing Tag This mailing tag with the post mark date of 29 Nov 1884 is the first canceling device used at the Glenbrook office. Note the star within a star and blank circular center used on the “killer” |
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First official postage meter setting in the United States! The first official setting of a postage meter in the United States, manufactured at Stamford's Pitney-Bowes, was at the Stamford Post Office, November 16, 1920 From left: |
clipping from an unknown newspaper, May 1984
© Stamford Historical Society
| Month | Title |
|---|---|
| January 2003 | The Wardwell Homes on Elm Street |
| February 2003 | The Old Town Hall II |
| March 2003 | The Portable Typewriter and its Uses, 1913 |
| June 2003 | Wardwell Family Photos |
| Month | Title |
|---|---|
| May 2007 | The League of Women Voters and Harold I June, June 26, 1930 |
| June 2007 | Brownstones on Bell Street |
| July 2007 | The Nature Studies and Recreations of a Business Man |
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