Independence Postal Service
Independence, Washington County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Until 1840, mail was carried by private conveyance--neighbors paying expenses of young man to travel by horse to Houston and bring mail for all; 1840 brought two stage routes giving weekly service. Postal service authorized in 1843; Moses Johnson appointed first Independence postmaster. During Civil War 10 (cent) stamps made by stamping with wood postmark; die carved by John McKnight. During 115 years of operation 21 postmasters served; Kathryn Schwarze being the last when service discontinued, Jan. 31, 1958. Now museum mailing station.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Before 1840, the people of Independence pooled money to send a young man on horseback to Houston for everyone's mail; official postal service arrived in 1843 with Moses Johnson as the first postmaster. During the Civil War, ten-cent stamps were improvised with a hand-carved wood postmark when Confederate stamps ran short. Twenty-one postmasters served across 115 years until the office closed in 1958, and the site now survives as a museum mailing station.
Why it matters
The office traces the evolution of American communication from horseback couriers to organized mail, including the makeshift ingenuity of the wartime Confederacy.
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Related people
- · Moses Johnson
- · Kathryn Schwarze
- · John McKnight
Themes & tags
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