First U.S. Post Offices by State

Below is a list of the first U.S. Post Office(s) within the present-day boundaries of the 50 U.S. states, along with their establishment dates. The final names of Post Offices are listed; original names follow in parentheses, if applicable. Further details on each office are available in Postmaster Finder, the Postal Service’s online record of Postmasters by Post Office.(1)

The appointment date of the first Postmaster is generally considered to be the establishment date of an office; exceptions are noted.(2) Where Post Offices originally operated under the authority of another nation — in Hawaii, Vermont, and the original 13 states — the establishment date represents when the U.S. assumed control of the postal system. In the case of the original 13 states, July 26, 1775, is considered to be the establishment date. On that date, Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first American Postmaster General under the Continental Congress. Offices that never operated under the U.S. are not listed.

Many postal records were lost in a fire at headquarters in 1836; the information below may be incomplete. As new information is brought to light, this list will be updated.(3) 

State	First U.S. Post Office(s) Within Present State Boundaries	Date Established	
Alabama	Fort Stoddert, Saint Stephens (originally “Fort Saint Stephens”)	10/23/1804	
Alaska	Sitka	07/23/1867	
Arizona	Fort Defiance (listed under New Mexico in Postmaster Finder)	04/09/1856	
Arkansas	Jackson (originally “Davidsonville”)	06/28/1817	
California	San Francisco	11/09/1848	
Colorado	Denver (originally “Auraria”), Platteville (originally “Saint Vrain”)	01/18/1859 (4)	
Connecticut	Fairfield, Hartford, Middletown, New Haven, New London, Stamford	07/26/1775	
Delaware	New Castle, Wilmington	07/26/1775	
Florida	Saint Augustine	07/20/1821	
Georgia	Savannah	07/26/1775	
Hawaii	On June 14, 1900, the U.S. Post Office Department officially subsumed the Republic of Hawaii’s Post Offices. A list of those offices is included in the endnotes.(5)	
06/14/1900	
Idaho	Lewiston	07/25/1862	
Illinois	Kaskaskia (originally “Kaskaskias”)	11/28/1799 (6)	
Indiana	Vincennes	Feb. 1798 (7)	
Iowa	Dubuque (originally “Dubuque Mines”)	05/27/1833	
Kansas	Fort Leavenworth (originally “Cantonment Leavenworth”) 	05/29/1828	
Kentucky	Danville	08/20/1792	
Louisiana	New Orleans	02/04/1804	
Maine	Portland (originally “Falmouth”)	07/26/1775	
Maryland	Annapolis, Baltimore, Bladensburg, Charlestown, Chestertown, Easton (originally “Talbot” or “Talbot Court House”), George Town,(8) Harford, Queens Town, Upper Marlboro	

07/26/1775	
Massachusetts	Boston, Ipswich, Marblehead, Newburyport, Salem, Springfield, Worcester	07/26/1775	
Michigan	Detroit	09/07/1802	
Minnesota	Fort Snelling	08/21/1827	
Mississippi	Natchez	11/29/1799	
Missouri	New Madrid, Sainte Genevieve, Saint Louis	          1804 (9)	
Montana	Missoula (originally “Hell Gate”)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     	11/25/1862	
Nebraska	Centoria (originally “Fort Kearney”)	07/07/1849	
Nevada	Genoa (originally “Carson Valley”)	12/10/1852	
New Hampshire	Portsmouth	07/26/1775	
New Jersey	Elizabeth (originally “Elizabethtown”), Newark, New Brunswick, Princeton, Trenton, Woodbridge 	
07/26/1775	
New Mexico	Santa Fe	10/01/1849	
New York	Albany, New York	07/26/1775	
North Carolina	Bath, Edenton, New Bern, Wilmington	07/26/1775	
North Dakota	Pembina	05/18/1850	
Ohio	Cincinnati, Marietta	  June 1794 (10)	
Oklahoma	Miller Court House (listed under Arkansas in Postmaster Finder)	09/05/1824	
Oregon	Astoria	03/09/1847	
Pennsylvania	Bristol, Chester, Lancaster, Philadelphia	07/26/1775	
Rhode Island	East Greenwich, Newport, Providence, South Kingston (originally “Tower Hill”), Warren, Westerly	
07/26/1775	
South Carolina	Charleston, Georgetown, Purysburgh	07/26/1775	
South Dakota	Sioux Falls City	06/15/1858	
Tennessee	Rogersville (originally “Hawkins Court House”)	          1792 (11)	
Texas	Miller Court House (listed under Arkansas in Postmaster Finder)	09/05/1824	
Utah	Salt Lake City (originally “Salt Lake”)	01/18/1849	
Vermont	Brattleboro, Rutland, West Bennington (originally “Bennington”), Windsor 	          1791 (12)	
Virginia	Alexandria, Colchester, Dumfries, Fredericksburg, Hampton, Hobbs Hole, Newcastle, Norfolk, Petersburg, Port Royal, Smithfield, Suffolk, Urbanna, Williamsburg, Yorktown 	

07/26/1775	
Washington	Olympia (originally “Nesqually”), Vancouver 	01/08/1850	
West Virginia	Martinsburg, Shepherdstown 	06/12/1792	
Wisconsin	Menominee (originally “Green Bay”)	12/06/1821	
Wyoming	Fort Laramie	03/14/1850	

Endnotes:

1. United States Postal Service, Postmaster Finder, https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postmasterfinder/welcome.htm.

2. Establishment dates do not represent when Post Offices opened for business, which may have been weeks or months later. Following their appointment, Postmasters generally had to post a bond, submit a signed oath of office, and await the receipt of their commission before assuming office.

3. Please contact phistory@usps.gov if you have questions or suggestions.

4. On the same day, two additional Post Offices were officially established in present-day Colorado — Lancaster, in Nebraska Territory, and Montana, in Kansas Territory. Both offices were discontinued the same year; they apparently never operated.

5. Below is a list of the Hawaiian Post Offices subsumed by the U.S. Post Office Department on June 14, 1900. In the case of delayed Postmaster appointments, the Postal Bulletin was used to confirm whether or not a Post Office was subsumed or newly-established. Final Post Office names are listed below, followed by the island location. Original Post Office names follow in parentheses, where applicable.  

Aiea, Oahu	
Eleele, Kauai	
Ewa Beach, Oahu (formerly Honouliuli)
Haiku, Maui (formerly Pauwela)
Hakalau, Hawaii	
Hamakuapoko, Maui	
Hamoa, Maui	
Hana, Maui	
Hanalei, Kauai	
Hanapepe, Kauai	
Hauula, Oahu	
Hawaii National Park, Hawaii (formerly Volcano House)
Hilea, Hawaii	
Hilo, Hawaii	
Holualoa, Hawaii	
Honokaa, Hawaii	
Honolulu, Oahu	
Honomu, Hawaii	
Honuapo, Hawaii	
Hookena, Hawaii	
Hoopuloa, Hawaii	
Kahuku, Oahu	
Kahului, Maui	
Kailua Kona, Hawaii (formerly Kailua)
Kalapana, Hawaii	
Kalaupapa, Molokai
Kalawao, Molokai	
Kamalo, Molokai	
Kamuela, Hawaii (formerly Waimea)
Kaneohe, Oahu	(formerly Heeia)
Kapaau, Hawaii (formerly Kohala)
Kapoho, Hawaii (formerly Pohoiki)
Kaunakakai, Molokai	
Kaupo, Maui	
Kawaihae, Hawaii	
Keaau, Hawaii (formerly Olaa Plantation)
Kealakekua, Hawaii	
Kealia, Kauai	
Keauhou, Hawaii	
Kekaha, Kauai	
Keokea, Maui	
Kihei, Maui	
Kilauea, Kauai	
Kipahulu, Maui	
Koloa, Kauai	
Kukuihaele, Hawaii	
Lahaina, Maui	
Lanai City, Lanai (formerly Keomuku)
Laupahoehoe, Hawaii	
Lihue, Kauai	
Mahukona, Hawaii	
Makawao, Maui	
Makaweli, Kauai	
Mana, Kauai	
Mountain View, Hawaii (formerly Olaa)
Naalehu, Hawaii	
Nahiku, Maui	
Napoopoo, Hawaii	
Ookala, Hawaii	
Paauilo, Hawaii	
Pahala, Hawaii	
Paia, Maui	
Papaaloa, Hawaii	
Papaikou, Hawaii	
Peahi, Maui	
Pearl City, Oahu (formerly Ewa)
Pukoo, Molokai	
Punaluu, Hawaii	
Puunene, Maui (formerly Spreckelsville)
Ulupalakua, Maui (formerly Makena) 
Ulupalakua, Maui	
Wahiawa, Oahu
Waialua, Oahu	
Waianae, Oahu	
Waikane, Oahu	
Wailuku	, Maui	
Waimanalo, Oahu	
Waimea, Kauai	
Waiohinu, Hawaii	
Waipahu, Oahu

6. A letter from Postmaster General Joseph Habersham dated November 28, 1799, indicates that the first Postmaster served by that date; his appointment date is unavailable.

7. A letter from Postmaster General Gideon Granger dated December 7, 1802, indicates that the first Postmaster was appointed by February 1798; his appointment date is unavailable.

8. The George Town Post Office that operated in present-day Maryland was located in Kent County. Prior to 1800, another Post Office by the name of Georgetown operated in Maryland — it was referred to as “George-Town at the Falls of the Patowmack” and was subsumed by the District of Columbia in 1800.

9. The New Madrid, Sainte Genevieve, and Saint Louis Post Offices were established in 1804; establishment dates are unavailable. The Cape Girardeau Post Office may also have been established that year; available records are inconclusive.

10. The first Post Offices in present-day Ohio — at Cincinnati, Gallipolis, and Marietta — began operating around August 1794. 
Postmasters were appointed at Cincinnati and Marietta in early June 1794, making these the first two Post Offices to be officially established. A Postmaster for Gallipolis was selected by late July.

11. Joseph Rogers, the first Postmaster, served as Postmaster by November 25, 1792; his appointment date is unavailable.

12. The first four U.S. Post Offices began operating in Vermont after the state joined the union in March 1791. They were apparently originally established by the independent State of Vermont around March 1784.

HISTORIAN
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
SEPTEMBER 2019