Florida Post Offices by John S. Gallagher -book- (Florida, US)

FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
Florida Post Offices by John S. Gallagher

This is an essential book for any collector of Florida postal history or post cards. The establishment of post offices mirrored the settlement of the country. The small cross-roads offices either developed into towns, or more likely they disappeared, as there are about six closed offices for every one still open. This remarkable compilation lists all the post offices, branches, stations and other postal facilities that have operated in Florida. It gives the official establishment dates, the first postmaster for each of the post offices, and the discontinuance date and “mail to” addresses for those which have closed.
After an historical introduction and an explanation of postal terms used in the book, Florida Post Offices is organized by county, with an alphabetical listing of post offices in the county and the exact dates of the establishment and discontinuation of the office. It also includes information on postal branches and stations, unusual for a book of this type, as it requires a lot of extra research. There is a statewide alphabetical index that provides the county and operational dates. Throughout the book are sections of Postal Route maps that locate many of the post offices. At the end there is a section listing each first postmaster alphabetically.
The collecting of postal history has been popular for decades, which is why this book was researched and published in 1997. By knowing the dates an office was open it is possible to develop a scarcity index, and thus determine a value for obscure post office postmarks. However, the book would be useful to anyone doing historical or genealogical research on Florida. Old letters, diaries and newspaper accounts may list names that may be difficult to locate on any map, and this book provides a ready reference and some basic official information.

Hard cover, 239 pages, 8.5 x 11 inches, published by The Depot in 1997.