By Tabitha Johnston, The Shepherdstown Chronicle
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — The National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA) held a number of events over the past week, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
The Shepherdstown Opera House served as the location for the NRLCA’s July 24 event on “Delivering America: The History and Impact of Rural Free Delivery.” According to NRLCA President Don Maston, celebrating the anniversary in the historic building seemed particularly appropriate, as it was only 20 minutes away from the location of the first Rural Free Delivery (RFD) route.
“It’s an incredible honor to welcome you here tonight, to this historic town of Shepherdstown, in the heart of Jefferson County, West Virginia — the birthplace of Rural Free Delivery. A fitting home for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Postal Service,” Maston said, greeting those present in the building, as well as the hundreds of others watching via livestream.
“In 1896, just a few miles away from where we stand, the very first Rural Free Delivery route was launched in Charles Town,” Maston said of that route, which started out with Melvin T. Strider as its postman. “It was a simple, revolutionary idea, that people in America should receive mail at their homes, just like people in cities — that every address mattered, that every person mattered. That principal for universal service remains the heart of the postal service. It binds the country together.”
