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Monday, January 18, 2016

Penny Postage or Two Cents by Paty Jager



Happy 2016 everyone! I'm starting off the new year with a new historical western romance series. Letters of Fate.

Since my new series has to do with letters here is a bit of postage history info:

Rates were based on weight and whether it was a “single letter,” defined as consisting of one sheet of paper until July 1, 1845, and thereafter as weighing ½ ounce or less, regardless of the number of sheets. “Double letters” were charged double.

June 1, 1792
The distance dictated how much you paid for a letter.

not over 30 miles $0.06
over 30 and not exceeding 60 miles $ 0.08
over 60 and not exceeding 100 miles $0.10
over 100 and not exceeding 150 miles $0.12 1/2
over 150 and not exceeding 200 miles $0.15
over 200 and not exceeding 250 miles $0.17
over 250 and not exceeding 350 miles $0.20
over 350 and not exceeding 450 miles $0.22
over 450 miles $0.25

By July 1885 they made the payment process easier:
not over 3,000 miles -- $0.03 if prepaid, $0.05 if not prepaid
over 3,000 miles -- $0.06 if prepaid, $0.10 if not prepaid

The post office charged 2cents for the first ounce of a letter in July 1885 until Nov. 1917

Fun post office Facts:

  • Most Common Post Office Names — Clinton is the most common Post Office name with 26 locations. Madison is second with 25. Franklin and Washington are third with 24. Chester and Marion are next with 23 each.
  • Most Common City Names — Franklin is the most common city name with 31 locations. Clinton and Washington are second, with 29 each. Arlington is third with 28. Chester, Georgetown, Madison and Salem are next with 27 each.
  • Most Common Street Names — the five most common street names in the country are Main, 2nd, Maple, Oak and Park — in that order.
  • Longest Main Street — the longest Main Street in America is located in Island Park, ID (83429) — it’s 33 miles long.
  • Most Unusual Delivery Method—Mule train delivery in AZ. Each mule carries about 130 pounds of mail, food, supplies and furniture down the 8-mile trail to the Havasupai Indians at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, averaging 4,000 pounds per day.
  • Another Unusual Delivery Method — boat delivery on the Detroit River in Michigan. The JW Westcott is a 45-foot contract mail boat out of Detroit that delivers mail to passing ships. The JW Westcott has its own ZIP Code — 48222.
  • Another Unusual Delivery Method — dock-to-dock delivery on the Magnolia River in Alabama. A 15-foot contract mail boat delivers to 176 dock-side mailboxes on a 31-mile stretch of the river.
  • There are nearly 42,000 ZIP Codes in the country.
  • The lowest ZIP Code is 00501, a unique ZIP Code for the Internal Revenue Service in Holtsville, NY.
  • The highest ZIP Code is 99950 in Ketchikan, AK.
  • The easiest ZIP Code to remember is 12345, a unique ZIP Code for General Electric in Schenectady, NY.
  • The longest rural delivery route is in Mangum, OK. The carrier travels 187.6 miles daily and delivers to 240 boxes.
  • The shortest rural delivery route is in Carrollton, TX. The carrier travels 1.2 miles daily and delivers to 312 central delivery boxes.


    • Davis: Letters of Fate released on Friday.  Here is the blurb.



    Widowed with two small children and a ranch to run, Mariella Swanson knows she needs help, but isn’t sure her heart, or neighbors, will accept her marrying a stranger. When the greenhorn shows up, smoking a pipe and wearing a derby hat, she can’t help but wonder if agreeing to this marriage may prove to be her biggest mistake. 

    When Davis Weston receives a letter from his sister asking him to marry a friend, he scoffs at the idea. However, losing his wife and son has left him a lonely man, and the whispers from others that he didn’t do enough to save his family has gone on long enough. His arrival in Oregon may be worse—these neighbors are doing more than whispering. Guns and horses aren’t his forte. He’s willing to learn, but is he willing to love again?

    Historical western filled with steamy romance and the rawness of a growing country.

    Buy links:
    Windtree press  http://windtreepress.com/portfolio/davis/
    Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Davis-Letters-Fate-Paty-Jager-ebook/dp/B01AHJUQO8
    Apple https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1073823625
    Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/davis-3
    Nook  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/davis-paty-jager/1123242975
     

    www.patyjager.net
    Writing into the Sunset


    Source: http://about.usps.com/who-we-are

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    5 comments:

    1. Julie LenceJanuary 18, 2016 at 9:17 AM

      Hi Paty:
      Great article. I have to laugh, because I'm from Schenectady. And you're right, easiest zip code to remember. When I give it, people look at me as if I'm pulling their leg.

      ReplyDelete
    2. Kristy McCaffreyJanuary 18, 2016 at 10:04 AM

      Great post, Paty. You can also mail letters from the bottom of the Grand Canyon. My sister sent her Christmas cards that way one year.

      ReplyDelete
    3. Paty JagerJanuary 18, 2016 at 4:18 PM

      Hi Julie, LOL that would be fun! My daughter and son live in Alaska. Those zips start with 99. ;) Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Hi Kristy! That would be a fun idea! I'll have to remember that. Thanks for stopping by!

      ReplyDelete
    4. UnknownJanuary 18, 2016 at 6:09 PM

      Great post, Paty. I often wonder how email has impacted the postal system. That and on-line banking must have really decreased the profit margin.

      ReplyDelete
    5. UnknownJanuary 18, 2016 at 6:12 PM

      Loved when I lived in Sparta, TN The zip code was the same backwards and forwards. :) 38583.

      ReplyDelete

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