On October 1, 1896, the first experimental RFD routes were launched in Charles Town, Halltown, and Uvilla, WV. Five routes covered just 10 miles, and history was made when rural carrier Harry Gibson delivered the first piece of RFD mail. Gibson, along with Frank Young, John Lucas, and Keyes Strider, carried the mail on horseback. Strider’s cousin, Melvin, who was only 15 years old at the time and too young to be officially paid, made his own 20-mile loop on a bicycle to help deliver the first batch of mail.
RFD mail proved to be popular from the beginning. Within a year of the service starting in West Virginia, 44 routes were being covered in 29 states. By 1902, it was adopted nationwide. The NRLCA was founded the following year, and the rest is history!
Back in July, NRLCA members and Postal Service supporters gathered in the birthplace of RFD to commemorate the Postal Service’s 250th anniversary and to listen to powerful stories from rural letter carriers who go above and beyond delivering mail to serve their communities. The event highlighted the vital roles rural carriers play as first responders, wellness checkers, and trusted neighbors
