Fairfield Postal History

Fairfield Postal History
Somerset County, Maine

last update for this page: 13 July 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 Fairfield, there have been seven post offices.

Briefly, the history of these seven is as follows:
1. East Fairfield post office opened on 6 Noveber 1838, closed in 1838, re-opened 19 August 1878, and was renamed on 3 March 1904 as Hinckley post office, which is still operating.
2. Fairfield (1) post office was established on 20 January 1807 and was renamed on 17 June 1872 as Fairfield Center post office, which closed 30 September 1935.
3. Kendall’s Mills post office was established on 31 March 1830 and was renamed on 17 June 1872 as Fairfield (2) post office, which is still operating.
4. Fairfield Corners post office operated from 17 May 1822 until 11 August 1882.
5. Larone post office opened on 13 January 1851 and closed on 31 October 1927.
6. North Fairfield post office operated from 5 April 1838 until 15 March 1909.
7. Somerset Mills post office opened on 1 June 1853 and was renamed on 9 April 1889 as Shawmut post office. Shawmut Post Office closed on 15 April 1918, re-opened on 7 November 1918, and as stll operating.

In 1914, there were five post offices in the town of Fairfield: Fairfield, Fairfield Center, Hinckley, Larone, and Shawmut. (source: Post Route Map of the State of Maine 1914)

(click on image to enlarge)

Postmarks from the town of Fairfield include:

East Fairfield
Fairfield (1)
Fairfield (2)

Fairfield Center
Fairfield Corners

Hinckley
Kendall’s Mills

Larone
North Fairfield

Shawmut
Somerset Mills

East Fairfield

1838 November 6:
   East Fairfield post office opened. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

1838:
   East Fairfield post office closed. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

1878 August:
   East Fairfield post office re-opened. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

1894 May 1:
   The circular postmark is 28–29 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1904 March 3:
   East Fairfield post office was renamed as Hinckley post office. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

Fairfield (1)

1807 January 20:
   Fairfield (1) post office opened. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

1838 March 20:
   Manuscript postmark. (letter [page 1]; letter [page 2])

      (click on image to enlarge)

1849 April 13:
   Manuscript postmark. (notation; letter)

      (click on image to enlarge)

1872 June 17:
   Fairfield (1) post office was renamed as Fairfield Center post office. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

Fairfield (2)

1872 June 17:
   Fairfield (2) post office opened. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

1872 June 17:
   William H. Emery appointed Postmaster.

year? September 15:
   The circular postmark is 24–25 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1884 February 27:
   The circular postmark is approximately 27 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1886 August 16:
   William J. Bradbury appointed Postmaster.

1891 January 19:
   Oliver Bragdon appointed Postmaster.

1895 January 10:
   William J. Bradbury appointed Postmaster.

1898 February 24:
   The circular postmark is 27–28 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1898 May 24:
   Frank B. Purinton appointed Postmaster.

1910 December 14:
   Edward P. Mayo appointed Postmaster.

1912 March 6:
   Horace K. Purinton appointed Acting Postmaster.

1912 April 5:
   Horace K. Purinton appointed Postmaster.

1916 April 27:
   Silas T. Lawry appointed Postmaster.

1918 November 16:
   Eugene L. Jewell appointed Acting Postmaster.

1919 August 1:
   Samuel G. Wing appointed Acting Postmaster.

1923 March 1:
   Eugene L. Jewell appointed Acting Postmaster.

1923 December 18:
   Eugene L. Jewell appointed Postmaster.

1931 Dcember 10:
   Stephen Wing appointed Acting Postmaster.

1932 April 27:
   Charles W. McClintock appointed Postmaster.

1936 April 27:
   Frank X. Oakes appointed Postmaster.

1938 September 28:
   The circular postmark is 20–21 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1952 August 31:
   Frank Lemelin appointed Acting Postmaster.

1954 May 31:
   Price Y. Tozier appointed Acting Postmaster.

1954 August 12:
   Price Y. Tozier appointed Postmaster.

1973 June 29:
   Ludwin P. Bosse appointed Officer-in-Charge.

1973 November 10:
   Ludwin P. Bosse appointed Postmaster.

1985 January 3:
   Michael F. O’Leary appointed Orricer-in-Charge.

1985 April 27:
   Joseph N. R. Dutil appointed Postmaster.

1988 September 22:
   Stephan R. Gass appointed Officer-in-Charge.

1988 November 19:
   F. Beecher Doody appointed Postmaster.

1991 November 6:
   Judith A. Arbia appointed Officer-in-Charge.

1992 February 28:
   Alfred L. Black appointed Officer-in-Charge.

1992 November 4:
   Judith E. Mann appointed Officer-in-Charge.

1993 March 22:
   Lynn E. Pierce appointed Officer-in-Charge.

1993 October 14:
   Peter Phil Poulin appointed Officer-in-Charge.

1994 February 3:
   Carol Niles appointed Officer-in-Charge.

1994 April 2:
   Joanne D. Cook appointed Postmaster.

1994 November 17:
   Installation Ceremony of the Postmaster for Fairfield (2). The circular postmark is 31–35 mm in diameter. The outer vertical height of the four horizontal bars to the right of the circle is 19–20 mm.

      (click on an image to enlarge)

1999 March 5:
   Lori King appointed Officer-in-Charge.

1999 July 29:
   James P. Manocchia appointed Officer-in-Charge.

2000 January 1:
   James P. Manocchia appointed Postmaster.

2011 October 25:
   Tammi G. Lessner appointed Officer-in-Charge.

2012 June 30:
   Carol A. Guimont appointed Postmaster.

2012 October 31:
   Ricardo Garcia appointed Officer-in-Charge.

2013 February 23:
   Jeremie J. Stevens appointed Postmaster.

2016 June 21:
   Steven M. Pardue appointed Officer-in-Charge.

2016 December 10:
   Daniel A. Bilodeau appointed Postmaster.

2017 December 26:
   Susan L. Molley appointed Officer-in-Charge.

2018 February 3:
   Susan L. Molley appointed Postmaster.

2019 March 2:
   Wanda A. Owen appointed Postmaster.

today:
   Fairfield (2) post office is still in operation.

Hinckley

1904 March 3:
   East Fairfield post office renamed as Hinckley post office. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

1923 January 9:
   The circular postmark is 29–30 mm in diameter.

      (click on image to enlarge)

1940 February 21 through 1957 December 13:
   The circular postmark is 29–30 mm in diameter.

      (click on an image to enlarge)

2020:
   Hinckley post office. 753 Skowhegan Road; Hinckley, Maine 04944. Lat./Long.: N 44°40′23″ x W 69°37′43″

      (click on image to enlarge)

today:
   Hinckley post office is still in operation.

Kendall’s Mills

1830 March 31:
   Kendall’s Mills post office opened. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

1830 March 31:
   William Loring appointed Postmaster.

1831 April 28:
   Milton Philbrook appointed Postmaster.

1832 April 17:
   Manuscript postmark. (letter)

      (click on image to enlarge)

1835 May 29:
   Manuscript postmark. (letter)

      (click on image to enlarge)

1837 November 1:
   John Philbrook appointed Postmaster.

1840 July 8:
   William H. Bodfish appointed Postmaster.

1841 July 15:
   Eben S. Page appointed Postmaster.

1853 March 29:
   Elhanan W. McFadden appointed Postmaster.

1860 September 14:
   Stephen Wing appointed Postmaster.

1861 April 4:
   Oliver Bragdon appointed Postmaster.

1863 October 8:
   Joseph P. Blunt appointed Postmaster.

1869 November 22:
   William H. Emery appointed Postmaster.

1872 June 17:
   Kendall’s Mills post office renamed as Fairfield (2) post office. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

Shawmut

1889 April 9:
   The former Somerset Mills post office was renamed as Shawmut post office. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

1918 April 15:
   Shawmut post office closed. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

1918 November 7:
   Shawmut post office re-opened. (source: Maine Philatelic Society. 1995. The Post Offices of Maine: A Rarity Guide.)

2020:
   Shawmut post office. 117 Bray Avenue; Shawmut, Maine 04975. Lat./Long.: N 44°37′05″ x W 69°35′37″

      (click on image to enlarge)

2020 May 15:
   The circular postmark is 32–34 mm in diameter. The outside height of the four horizontal bars to the rigtht of the circle is approximately 22 mm.

(click on image to enlarge)

today:
Shawmut post office is still in operation.