Early Postal Service: Post Office Square (Pt 3)

A vast expanse of space between Jarves and Main Streets was named Post Office Square. Parades on festive days like the 4th of July moved, with bands and horses and veterans in uniform, back and forth between Town Hall Square and Post Office Square.

In the 1880 Atlas of Barnstable County pictured below, the post office was located in the back of the F.S. Pope's Printing Office and Store on the corner of Main and Jarves Streets.

The original post office building was later remodeled into the two-story white building we see today. Although it looks quite different, the two lower front windows flanking the door have the same placement.

The lovely postcard below depicts Post Office Square in the early 1900s. The post office was located in the building on the left which, again, is now the white two-story building shown in the photo above.  The view is straight down Main Street toward the east; Jarves Street runs directly in front of the post office building. The steeple of St John's church is visible on the left side.

Note: The post office series was written for Facebook in lieu of The Sandwich Enterprise.

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Kaethe Maguire is a member of the Friends of the Sandwich Town Archives, a dedicated, all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to supporting and promoting the archives’ collections and the rich, diverse history of the town of Sandwich.