Disclaimer! Ruralinfo.net is not sponsored or authorized by the NRLCA, the USPS or any state or local association. Click here to read full disclaimer

NRLCA Commemorates 129 Years of Rural Free Delivery and 250th Anniversary of USPS

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

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Hot this week

USPS OIG – Postal Service’s Workplace Violence Prevention Program

Background Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970,...

USPS covers a lot of ground

In the 250 years since its inception, the Postal...

This RCA grabbed an extinguisher as the vehicle burned at a gas station

Rural Carrier Associate Nicholas “Nick” Hernandez was recently driving...

What the Upcoming Government Shutdown Means for Rural Letter Carriers

At 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, the federal government is...
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

spot_imgspot_img
Secret Link
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x