Boothbay Postal History

Boothbay Postal History
Lincoln County, Maine

last update for this page: 10 November 2021

Maine Postal History ------ Waterville Stamp Club

Thank you for the contributions to this page from James Husson and from the Strout family collection.

During the history of the town of Boothbay, there have been eight post offices.

Briefly, the history of these eight is as follows:
1. Backriver post office operated from 30 December 1897 until 30 April 1907.
2. Boothbay (1) post office was established in November 1802 and was renamed on 27 March 1889 as Booth Bay Harbor post office [in Boothbay Harbor].
3. Haley post office was established on 24 October 1882 and was renamed on 26 March 1902 as West Boothbay Harbor post office [in Boothbay Harbor].
4. Hodgdon’s Mills post office, a private office, was established on 15 June 1831 and was renamed on 22 March 1876 as East Boothbay post office, which is still in operation.
5. Linekin post office operated from 14 October 1880 until 15 March 1929.
6. North Boothbay post office was established on 5 March 1829 and was renamed on 16 February 1891 as Boothbay (2) post office.
7. Ocean Point post office, a summer office, was established on 24 March 1880 and was renamed on 19 May 1967 as Ocean Point Rur. Br. East Boothbay, which closed on 16 Septeber 1976.
8. Trevett post office was established on 11 October 1882 and is still operating. Research is necessary to determined if this post office has been in continual operation since 1882.

Research is needed to determine (1) the history of the post office of a cover bearing a [7 August or 8 July ?] 1876 postmark of Booth Bay and (2) the history of two postal cards bearing 1887 postmarks of Boothbay.

In 1914, there were four post offices in Boothbay: Boothbay (2), East Boothbay, Linekin, and Trevett. (source: Post Route Map of the State of Maine 1914)

(click on image to enlarge)

Postmarks from the town of Boothbay include:

Backriver
Boothbay (1)
Boothbay (2)

East Boothbay
Haley

Hodgdon’s Mills
Linekin

North Boothbay
Ocean Point

Ocean Point Rur. Br. East Boothbay
Trevett

Backriver

1897 December 30:
   Backriver post office opened. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide)

1901 June 17:
   The circular postmark is 28 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1907 April 30:
   Backriver post office closed. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide)

Boothbay (1)

1802 November:
   Boothbay (1) post office established as Booth Bay post office. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide)

1876 August 5: [year determined from reverse]
   The circular postmark is 28–29 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1887 March 24: [year determined from reverse]
   The circular postmark is approximately 26 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1887 November 28: [year determined from reverse]
   The circular postmark is approximately 27 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1889 March 27:
   Boothbay (1) post office renamed as Booth Bay Harbor post office (in Boothbay Harbor). (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide)

Boothbay (2)

1891 February 16:
   The former North Boothbay post office was renamed as Boothbay (2) post office. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide)

1891 March 7:
   John G. Spinney appointed Postmaster.

1892 January 13:
   John W. Welsh appointed Postmaster.

1894 February 8:
   John S. Spinney appointed Postmaster.

1898 February 11:
   John H. Welsh appointed Postmaster.

1905 August 4:
   Fred Welsh appointed Postmaster.

1940 January 31:
   Wendall Melvin Lewis appointed Acting Postmaster.

1940 October 5:
   Wendall Melvin Lewis appointed Postmaster.

1963 September 27:
   Alfred E. Lewis appointed Acting Postmaster.

1966 May 26:
   Alfred E. Lewis appointed Postmaster.

1992 September 25:
   Hope Hyde appointed Officer-in-Charge.

1992 December 16:
   Belinda Campbell appointed Officer-in-Charge.

1993 March 6:
   Cheryl R. (Harper) Perry appointed Postmaster.

2000 February 8:
   Margaret Bruno appointed Officer-in-Charge.

2000 October 7:
   John P. Dupuis appointed Postmaster.

2011 April 29:
   Susan Horan-Boyd appointed Officer-in-Charge.

2011 July 19:
   Sherri L. Thompson appointed Officer-in-Charge.

2012 June 30:
   Sherri L. Thompson appointed Postmaster.

2013 October 25:
   Kimberly Baldiga appointed Officer-in-Charge.

2014 June 14:
   Bobbi Jo Watson-Cray appointed Postmaster.

2016 September 15:
   Ashley Hollaway appointed Officer-in-Charge.

2017 March 1:
   Paula A. Farmer appointed Officer-in-Charge.

2017 May 21:
   Boothbay post office.

      (click on image to enlarge)

2017 May 27:
   Paula A. Farmer appointed Postmaster.

2017 July 27:
   Coreen Stanton appointed Officer-in-Charge.

2017 November 25:
   Lorraine G. Davis appointed Postmaster.

today:
   Boothbay post office is still in operation.

East Boothbay

1876 March 22:
   The former Hodgdon Mill’s post office was renamed as East Boothbay post office. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide)

1883 July 2:
   The circular postmark is approximately 26 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1898 July 11:
   The circular postmark is 27–28 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1899 August 6:
   The circular postmark is approximately 27 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1933 May 16:
   The circular postmark is 22–23 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1943 Decembrer 9:
   The circular postmark is approximately 22 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1991 September 21:
   The circular postmark is 31–32 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

today:
   East Boothbay post office is still in operation.

Haley

1882 October 24:
   Haley post office opened. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide)

1889 July 29:
   The circular postmark [below left] is 27 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1902 March 26:
   Haley post office was renamed as West Boothbay Harbor post office [in Boothbay Harbor]. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide)

North Boothbay

1829 March 5:
   North Boothbay post office opened. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide)

1829 March 5:
   William Emerson appointed Postmaster.

1838 March 6:
   Edward Emerson appointed Postmaster.

1841 February 20:
   Levi Willey appointed Postmaster.

1842 May 10:
   William Carlisle appointed Postmaster.

1842 December 22:
   Robert Spinney appointed Postmaster.

1852 January 10:
   Frederick Reed appointed Postmaster.

1853 April 11:
   Robert Spinney appointed Postmaster.

1854 June 19:
   Ephraim Pinkham appointed Postmaster.

1856 May 15:
   William P. McCobb appointed Postmaster.

1857 November 11:
   Isaac Pinkham Jr. appointed Postmaster.

1861 July 12:
   Manson C. Fuller appointed Postmaster.

1862 December 6:
   Samuel A. Fuller appointed Postmaster.

1864 June 27:
   Reuel W. Lawson appointed Postmaster.

1866 November 22:
   Robert Spinney appointed Postmaster.

1867 January 18:
   Reuel W. Lawson appointed Postmaster.

1870 February 7:
   Lincoln Given appointed Postmaster.

1871 March 27:
   Jaon Pinkham appointed Postmaster.

1875 January 27:
   Rufus Holton appointed Postmaster.

1891 February 16:
   North Boothbay post office was renamed as Boothbay (2) post office.

Trevett

1882 October 11:
   Trevett post office opened. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide)

2017 May 21:
   Trevett post office

(click on an image to enlarge)

today:
Trevett post office is still in operation.