Existing comment:
1619-1865
Slave-Carried Mail
Before the introduction of home mail delivery, slaves often carried letters to and from the post office. Slave-carried mail is usually identified by a notation -- called an endorsement -- that also served as a travel pass. These mail messengers could be an important source of news if they overheard discussions during their travels.
"News was usually gotten from the colored man who was sent to the post-office for the mail. In our case the post-office was about three miles from the plantation and the mail came once or twice a week."
-- Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery, 1901 |