Postal History Item
A cover sent from
Annapolis, Maryland, to Richmond, Virginia, in 1893, demonstrating
same-day postal service with a transit marking through Washington,
D.C. Postage is paid with a 2-cent stamp.
Addressee Information
From: Annapolis, Maryland
To: Mrs. G. W. Bagby, State Auditor's Office, Richmond, Va.
Additional Features: A pencil manuscript notation "220" is present on the front.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
Addressee: Mrs. G. W. Bagby, State Auditor's Office, Richmond, Va.
Postmark (Front): ANNAPOLIS MD. NOV 17 12 M 1893
Postmarks (Back): WASH. D.C. TRANS NOV 17 330PM 93; RICHMOND, VA. NOV 17 1130 PM 93 REC'D
Manuscript (Front): 220
Postal Route and Timeline
Sent: Postmarked in Annapolis, Maryland, on Friday, November 17, 1893, at 12:00 PM (Noon).
Transit: Postmarked at the Washington, D.C. transit office on the same day, Friday, November 17, 1893, at 3:30 PM.
Received: Postmarked as received in Richmond, Virginia, on the same day, Friday, November 17, 1893, at 11:30 PM.
Travel Time: The total transit time from the origin postmark to the destination postmark was 11 hours and 30 minutes.
Approximate Travel Distance: The route from Annapolis to Washington, D.C. is approximately 30 miles, and from Washington, D.C. to Richmond is approximately 110 miles, for a total journey of about 140 miles.
Historical Context
This
cover was mailed during the Panic of 1893, a severe national economic
depression. The recipient, Mrs. G. W. Bagby, was likely Lucy Parke
Chamberlayne Bagby, the widow of the noted Virginia author and
humorist Dr. George William Bagby (1828-1883). After his death, she
worked to compile and publish his writings.
Geographic Context
Sender Location: Annapolis is the state capital of Maryland.
Recipient Location: The State Auditor's Office in Richmond, Virginia, would have been located in or near the Virginia State Capitol building in the city's Capitol Square. The Virginia State Capitol, designed in part by Thomas Jefferson, still serves as the seat of the state government today.