An act of Parliament created a colonial postal system in 1711, but service was irregular and the number of post roads few until Benjamin Franklin was appointed Postmaster-General in 1753. His Whig sympathies cost him his position and mail service broke down during the imperial crisis between England and the North American colonies. The residents of Deerfield, Massachusetts, formed a plan to keep up mail delivery in those tense and exciting times. Twenty-five residents each paid William Mosman twelve shillings to carry mail from Boston to Deerfield in 1773.
Mosman, William. Post Rider, 1772-1773. December 18, 1773. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l99-087/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.