History

Baldwin County's Mail Service

     "Has the mail come?" has always been the first words on the tongue of Baldwin County Residents. People who were of Migrant vintage depended on the written word for much of their communication. There are many stories of the development of the Postal System. Some of them are gleaned from exerts from the Baldwin Co. Newspapers.

     The earliest methods seem to be by hand delivery and Horse Back. In Bon Secour the horse and buggy was the method of delivery. The first Post Office named "Theresa" for Mrs. John Miller. Another was on Oyster Bay at the home of Gerstenberg's residence. Brad Dannely brought the mail by horse and buggy to Roscoe, first, then to Oak and from there by boat to Bon Secour. Mr. Gasque, who took the mail on to Bon Secour, met him. This was in the early 1900's. (from Onlooker April 16th 1959).

     The Baldwin Times of Dec. 21, 1950, gave a record of Baldwin Co. Mail Route. "from Point Clear to Marlow, Lamberta and Magnolia Springs twice a week on Tuesday and Friday and from Bon Secour to Theresa, Gasque, Navy Cove and Herndon twice a week, leaving Bon Secour on Wednesday and Saturday". The Onlooker 12/21/1950 stated that the Magnolia Springs Post Office had been in existence since 1895. The Onlooker Summerdale Tales and Legends May 14, 1959 "stated that there was a Post Office in Summerdale and the Postmaster, George Sharrett built the first store in 1904 and used it for a Post Office and the store combined.

     June 7, 1911 Tom Dinwiddie of Bay Minette, who relieved train mail clerk Brown on Saturday stated that there were 86,797 pieces of mail last month and the Post Office was raised from 1,500 to a 1,600 class.

     Captain Rufus Walker, upon receiving word from Washington, expressed his opinion that he would get the new water mail contract from Miflin to Millview. If he does, he will have a new boat built to give daily excellent service, freight and passenger to all points along Perdido Bay.

Map of South Baldwin Co. Ala. - Click to enlarge

     Mail Routes were: from Bay Minette via Stockton, Laham, Tensaw and little River to Mount Pleasant daily except for Sunday; from Bay Minette to Roy, Mondays and Fridays; from Hurricane Bayou to Bromley, daily, except Sunday; from Daphne via Rosinton to Lillian, Mondays and Wednesdays; from Swifts via Josephine and Lillian to Millview, FL, Mondays and Thursdays; From to Josephine and Lillian to Millview Florida on Mondays and Thursdays. From Point Clear via Marlow, Lamberta and Magnolia Springs to Bon Secour, Tuesday and Friday; From Bon Secour via Theresa, Gasque, Navy Cove to Herndon, Wednesdays and Saturdays. This was from the Daphne Times, 1891. Also in the 1892 Times was the story that the Post Office at Magnolia Springs had its first Postmaster "Bemis". Before that the mail was carried from Fairhope by horse and buggy.

     Daphne's first Postmaster was appointed in September 9, 1874. Here we have gone from horse and buggy, to boat, to town and to the Town Post Offices. Most seem to have been named wives names such as the "Lillian" Post Office named for Lillian Kee. Now automobiles, trucks, trains and airplanes are the mode of transportation. In these olden days, a letter posted in the Swift Post Office at Miflin to a lumber company at Bon Secour took five days to reach its destination, going by sail boat 12 miles to Miiview, then by horseback to Pensacola, Florida, then by rail to Mobile, then by steamer to Fairhope, by mail driver to Magnolia Springs and on to Bon Secour. Today by comparison an Email letter can go in a matter of seconds to its destination.

     Written 2001 for The Baldwin County Heritage Book.

Submitted by: Jean Sanders Beard, 1767 Cristo Loop, Lillian, AL 36549

Sources: Foley Library records and Newspaper clippings