CSA Post Office Department - Montgomery, AL - Alabama Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The man chosen for the job of Postmaster General was former Congressman from Texas, John H. Reagan. He was an able administrator and was able to organize the department to the point where it took over postal service from the U.S. Post Office on June 1, 1861. By that time, the Confederate Post Office was in Richmond, which became the CSA capital in May, 1861.

Postal service is one area that many do not think about when discussing Civil War history, but it was an important part of life and needed to be done. Apparently, the Confederate Post Office was the only department that lived within its budget. Source is Wikipedia article on John H. Reagan: (visit link)

The marker itself reads:

Confederate States of America (CSA) Post office Department

In February, 1861, delegates from six of the seven seceding southern states met in Montgomery to establish the government of the CSA. Newly elected President Jefferson Davis named J. H. Reagan of Texas as Postmaster General. Reagan established the Post Office Department in this building on the corner of Washington Ave. and Perry St.

The U.S. Postal service continued to deliver mail throughout the South until June 1, 1861 when the Confederate Post Office Department began their operations. The U.S. Postal Service then suspended mail delivery in the Confederacy. After the war began, four more southern states joined the Confederacy. In late May, 1861, the CSA government, including the Post Office Department, moved from Montgomery to Richmond, VA. Postmasters had to create their own stamps or write "paid" on the mail. The first CSA stamp was printed in Richmond and issued in October, 1861.

This building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Perry St. Historic District.

Marker erected by Montgomery Area Stamp Club
2012

Marker Name: Confederate States of America (CSA) Post office Department Marker Type: Urban Addtional Information:: The marker is located in front of the building at 111 Washington Avenue, near the intersection with South Perry Street Date Dedicated / Placed: Dedicated November 29, 2012. Marker Number: None

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