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JayDV · 10-23-2006, 02:32 PM

My first summer at the Lake as as a newborn, in 1953. But for the next 50 years I only missed one 2 week vacation. But it seems there were other mailboats. I only knew the Uncle Sam and the Uncle Sam II before the Sophie C. Those were the good ole days when the used to bring milk, bread and eggs out to us on the islands

Taken from Lake Winni Historical Society pages

"Mail began to be carried on the Lake in the late 1800's, but the first official date was 1892 when Rural Free Delivery Route #7 was set up under contract to Dr. George Saltmarsh with the vessel Robert and Arthur the first mailboat. In 1896 the Dolphin replaced it in service, and in 1906 the mail contract put the newly launched Uncle Sam onto the run as the third mailboat. In 1916, by Act of Congress (the only such incident in the United States to date), the Uncle Sam became the only floating-post office. For the years 1932 & 3 the Marshall Foch took the honors, but it was displaced in '34 by the Uncle Sam I, which ran uninterrupted until destroyed due to old age after the end of the 1961 season. 1962 saw a new Uncle Sam II, a 72 foot converted PT-Boat, brought in by rail and launched for the increased traffic from many countries.

Only one other mail route exists officially on the Lake, that which started about 1910 under Capt. Oscar York in the Columbia out of Wolfeboro, with the Wolfeboro postmark. The route today is run by the Gray Ghost. "

Full article about the lake Mailboats here.

10-23-2006, 02:32 PM	#2
JayDV Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Fairfield, CT & island vacation Posts: 97 Thanks: 8 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	My first summer at the Lake as as a newborn, in 1953. But for the next 50 years I only missed one 2 week vacation. But it seems there were other mailboats. I only knew the Uncle Sam and the Uncle Sam II before the Sophie C. Those were the good ole days when the used to bring milk, bread and eggs out to us on the islands Taken from Lake Winni Historical Society pages "Mail began to be carried on the Lake in the late 1800's, but the first official date was 1892 when Rural Free Delivery Route #7 was set up under contract to Dr. George Saltmarsh with the vessel Robert and Arthur the first mailboat. In 1896 the Dolphin replaced it in service, and in 1906 the mail contract put the newly launched Uncle Sam onto the run as the third mailboat. In 1916, by Act of Congress (the only such incident in the United States to date), the Uncle Sam became the only floating-post office. For the years 1932 & 3 the Marshall Foch took the honors, but it was displaced in '34 by the Uncle Sam I, which ran uninterrupted until destroyed due to old age after the end of the 1961 season. 1962 saw a new Uncle Sam II, a 72 foot converted PT-Boat, brought in by rail and launched for the increased traffic from many countries. Only one other mail route exists officially on the Lake, that which started about 1910 under Capt. Oscar York in the Columbia out of Wolfeboro, with the Wolfeboro postmark. The route today is run by the Gray Ghost. " Full article about the lake Mailboats here.