Going Postal - The NAPR Part 1

National Association of Postal Riflemen



Have you ever seen an old western where where the stagecoach driver had a guy sitting next to him carried a rifle? Yep, that was him....a forerunner of the National Association of Postal Riflemen. Truly one of the unsung heros of not only the old west but also of the early days of the former US Post Office Department.

There is no coincidence that the heads of the Post Office Department and today's Postal Service are titled Postmaster General or that strangely enough the old post offices were built like fortifications to hold off would be bandits seeking mail, money....and the armories inside.

It is again no coincidence that the first four Postmaster Generals had served as generals in the Continental Army and the fourth was the rank of Colonel. When George Washingtons signed The Postal Service Act on February 20, 1792 goal was not only to create a reliable means of communication between the citizens of the United States but more importantly he knew first hand the great need to have a secure and reliable means of comminucations between military units...especially in a time of war. This military connection to the Post Office Dept lasted through the Civil War and as of today the only lasting connection to its past history is the title "Postmaster General"


more to come.....