Hussey's Post,Time Clock Labels, 3 labels

Retrace History of Independent Mail Service
With Set of 3 Hussey’s Post Labels

Hussey’s Post was an independent letter carrier in New York City.  The Time Clock labels in this set were placed on envelopes and marked with the hour and date.  They represent a small piece of postal history. 

In the first half of the 19th century, private business compe...  more

Retrace History of Independent Mail Service
With Set of 3 Hussey’s Post Labels

Hussey’s Post was an independent letter carrier in New York City.  The Time Clock labels in this set were placed on envelopes and marked with the hour and date.  They represent a small piece of postal history. 

In the first half of the 19th century, private business competed with the US Post Office to deliver mail in larger cities.  One of those companies was Hussey’s Post, established by George Tuttle Hussey.  He employed a number of carriers who would work in an assigned district.  The carrier collected and delivered letters at a cost of 1¢ or 2¢ per letter.  Time Clock labels were affixed to the letters to keep the carrier accountable.  By the 1860s, the Post Office offered competitive rates to mail letters and put many local post companies out of business.  Hussey’s Post continued as a commercial messenger service until the 1880s.