Out of the Mails August 3, 2007

In the fall of 1773 Hugh Finlay, Surveyor of the Post Offices and Post Roads on the Continent of North America, set out to assess the overall state of the mail system in order to improve the efficiency of the mails. What Finlay discovered was a surprising number of people sending their letters "out of the mails" with private carriers, avoiding the payment of postage in the British-run system. This exhibit illustrates Finlay's journey, shows how Ben Franklin sent his mail for free, and explores mail service on the Loyalist and Revolutionary sides of the war and the challenges of the postwar system.