VERMONT-L Archives

Archiver > VERMONT > 1999-05 > 0927072522


From: "Jackie M. Botala" <>
Subject: [VERMONT-L] more old papers....
Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 17:08:42 -0700


********************************************************************
(Vermont Post Routs continued....)

Under authority of Congress, more post offices were
established in the state in 1792. Four post roads were laid
out inVermont, the nearest to my town of Royalton being a
route from Brattleboro through Charleston, N.H. Windsor
and Hanover, N.H. There was a route form Brattleboro to
Springfield, Mass., so the line was complete from Windsor
to Springfield. Royalton could send mail to Albany by way
of Rutland or Burlington, provided she could get the mail to
either of these places.
In 1793 one Josiah Allen advertised himself as a post
rider from WIndsor to Braintree. Spooner's Vermont Journal
of 1803 advertised a mail route from Jericho, through Mont-
pelier, Williamstown, Randolph, Royalton, Woodstock and
Windsor. In 1806 there was a stage from Boston to Burlington,
which left Windsor on Wednesdays at 4a.m. and reached
Montpelier before noon the next day. It left Montpelier at
noon the same day, and arrived in Burlington Thursday
about nine in the morning. The stage left Burlington that
afternoon at 3, arriving in Montpelier Saturday afternoon.
It left there Monday morning at 6, and reached WIndsor at
3 p.m. on Tuesday.
Postage rates at first were according to miles. In 1810
it cost 8 cents for forty miles, between forty and ninty miles
it was ten cents, between 150 and 300 miles it was seven-
teen cents. The high rates led to letters being carried in
private conveyences, and it might be weeks before a letter
reached it's destination. The stages did not run with regularity,
and even when they did it took nine days or more for a letter
to come from Boston to Royalton, and even longer to go over
the mountains. Money orders and bank chaecks were un-
heard of, and therefore money was sent in letters. It was t
he custom to divide a bill into more three or parts, and send
each part in a separate letter, so when the recipient got all
the pieces he had the doubtful pleasure of putting them to-
gether again.

(Contributed by Beatrice K. Dodge, S. Royalton)

This thread: