Name/Title
First RFD route in Charles TownEntry/Object ID
IMG1742 ve2Description
Captain Flagg, postmaster at Charles Town, assigned the job of mapping the first five rural routes to Albert Vernon "Chic" Garney, a clerk in the post office. By October 1, 1896, Mr. Garney had mapped five routes for simultaneous deliveries by five carriers on horseback.
Carrier Harry Gibson's route number one from Charles Town took the following path (The Jefferson Republican, September 20, 1951, p. 4):
"His route on leaving Charles Town postoffice took him out the Leetown road to Brown's Shop; thence backtracking to James Littleton's Shop; thence north to George Moore's corner; and east several miles to the Will Gibson farm. From there he went north to the Aglinby [sic] homestead; thence direct east to the Duffields road and to Flowing Springs. Here he retraced some of his route to the Warm Spring road, and then went to Shaffer's Cross Roads; thence to the Shenandoah River road to Bloomery and to Mechanicstown. From there he went east to Federal Hill; thence to the Keys [sic] Ferry road and returned to the Charles Town postoffice"
Each of the original five carriers averaged about 20 miles a day on horseback, and received a yearly salary of $200.
Map of the first rural delivery route. (The National Rural Letter Carrier, Vol 80, no 36, Washington, D.C., September 26, 1981, p. 621)