New York State Rural Stations

Welcome to the New York Postal History blog. I have created 2 blogs dealing with New York State and its postal history: this blog deals with post-1900 items. The other blog Empire State Postal History deals with pre-1900 items.

The rationale behind having 2 blogs is that most collectors tend to think either classic (pre-1900) or modern (post-1900). More are interested in the classic era than in the modern era. But there is much research to be done in the modern era.

One area that interests me is Rural Stations. Today the terminology is "CPO--Community Post Office" or "CPU--Contract Post Office". These terms can into use in the mid 1970s, before that time many smaller independent post offices were "closed" and became stations of larger post offices.

Pilot Knob was an independent post office in Washington County from 1907 to 1953. On May 1, 1954 it was established as a summer post office and rural station of Kattskill Bay. According to an article on Summer and Winter post offices by Dr. Chester Smith in the July 2000 The American Philatelist, the rural station was from 1954 to 1965 and 1966 through 1982.

Higgins Bay (Hamilton County) operated from 1938 to 1962 as an independent office before becoming a rural station of Lake Pleasant from 1962 to 1973. Dr. Smith says it was also a Summer office.

Blue Ridge (Essex County) was established in 1891 as Blue Ridge and then the name was changed to Blueridge from 1895 to 1909 before reverting to two words again. In 1963 it became a rural station of Schroon Lake. It was discontinued in 1966.

I am always interested in purchasing examples from any NYS rural stations.