It was a cold and rainy fall morning in 1790 when young Samuel Bean traveled north from Boston at a feverish gate upon his horse in search of his destination in Concord.
Bean was quite accustomed to this route for he rode towards Concord each week with his leather courier bag filled with the United States mail. A trusted young man with a very important task at hand, he traveled the lonely road and hand-delivered his stack of letters safely. Regardless of the weather, Bean delivered each week, deriving satisfaction from his grateful customers here in Concord.
During the early years, when Concord was still known as Rumford and considered a British province, there was seldom a need for a mailman. The fact is not many people communicated with letters and if they decided to send good tidings to absent or long-separated friends they employed other common methods to send the letter along. It was highly likely that a letter would be given to a person that was traveling to the location that the letter was destined for delivery. If the matter was of business importance a person would be hired to hand deliver this letter.
In 1791, the Legislature of New Hampshire established four routes for post and post-riders like young Sam Bean from Boston, they would ride the circuit of towns delivering the mail and collecting additional mail destined back to Boston.
In 1794, there were only five post-offices existing in New Hampshire and the rates were actually established for postage in direct relation to the miles the post-rider traveled to deliver your mail. If you handed Bean a letter that was to travel less than 30 miles you were charged six cents for the service.
Though we find various forms of postal service during the early colonial period, it was not until July 26, 1775, about one year prior to our country’s independence from England, that the United State Postal Service was established. The first Postmaster General was Benjamin Franklin and he received $1,000 annually for compensation in this position. The very first official postal delivery line ran from New England to Savannah, Ga., with many lines established over the early years.
As the years progressed, we find in Concord there were designated areas referred to as post roads that were on official delivery routes and received letters on a somewhat routine basis. If you lived in an area of Concord that was not on the post road you could pick up your mail at the post office or simply visit your neighbor on the post road to retrieve it. The mail continued to grow in importance, especially during the Civil War period when our soldiers wrote home to their families. Sadly, some of those letters were written just prior to battle and did not arrive home until the loved one perished. Our postal carriers were held in great regard and were compassionate for they delivered far more than a letter, they understood the importance of each and every word read by those at home.
The young men of the Untied States Post Office continued to deliver for many years and established themselves further with delivery wagons, overland stage and horseback to ensure the mail was delivered to the intended people.
As we approached the late 1800s in Concord, the mail was delivered by a horse and wagon, especially to some of the more rural areas of our community.
Years later, as Concord continued to grow the mail was delivered door to door within the city with gasoline powered automobiles utilized in the early 1900s. With the winter weather conditions being extreme there was much creativity employed to deliver each and every letter. As the roads were snowed in and packed with a roller for travel, the Concord Post Office modified a Ford Model T to travel the Concord roads. This Model T was purchased by the government and converted for winter use by White’s Garage in Ossipee with the front tires being removed and replaced by two skis and a track installed over the rear tires to provide traction over the snowy roads.
It has been over 200 years since young Samuel Bean traveled that lonely road from Boston to Concord, enduring much hardship along the way, his dedication and pride providing a strong foundation for future deliveries.
Today in Concord, this system still exists and thrives each and every day. The dedication and compassion are still there just like it was on the lonely road to Concord in 1790, for sometimes they are delivering much more than a letter.