Originally written by Carl White.
Old Post Office Status
If you’ve been driving down West Putnam Avenue, passing the Library toward Port Chester, you may have seen a weathered building sitting on timbers. This was the first Post Office in Greenwich. It was moved from the back of the lot toward the street. This building is near what used to be “The Oasis.” Today, it’s surrounded by automobile dealerships. Years ago I spotted this building in one of my local history reference books and discovered it was an old post office. When I saw it had been moved, I was curious about what was happening to the structure.
I called archivist Chris Shields at the Greenwich Historical Society. He told me that there was a new group called the Greenwich Preservation Network and that they were alerted to this situation. The GPN works to preserve historic buildings. A compromise had been worked out to relocate and preserve the building. He didn’t know if the building would be open to the public.
Fortunately, years ago Susan Nova had written a description of its history for the Historical Society’s Greenwich Landmark Series. It’s available on the Greenwich Historical Society’s website. It provides a detailed history of the building.
History of the Old Post Office
The house was built on land that was owned as early as 1700 by Thomas Bullis. He was born in Boston in 1671 to Philip and Judith (Hart) Bullis. Philip was an English mariner, who had immigrated to the Colonies and had fought in the 1675 King Philip’s War. Thomas migrated to Greenwich in 1692 with his 5 children. He became the Town’s first blacksmith.
Thomas gifted 10 acres of land to his son John Bullis in 1722. Around 1725, the Bullis family built a home on this property adjacent to the Boston Post Road. Through the centuries, the house was passed down through many well-known families such as the Knapps, Meads, Sherwoods, and Marshalls. John Marshall sold the property to John Addington in 1747.
Franklin Appoints Addington
It was in 1776 that Postmaster General Ben Franklin appointed Addington the first Greenwich Postmaster. He was married to Hannah (Hobby), and they had 3 sons. One was named Henry. He has deeded the property in 1776, but the property was confiscated since Henry had “gone over to the enemy” – helped the British in the Revolutionary War. Eventually, the treasurer of the State of Connecticut deeded the property to Hannah, but she was unable to pay the back taxes. She deeded the property to another son, Henry Addington, Jr.
John Addington died in 1831. At this time, the house, barn, garden, and weaving shop were valued at $40. In 1919, the house and property were sold to Terrissa Bukey for $9,000, and in 1984, it was assessed for $750,000.
Unique Architecture
As you can imagine, the house underwent many changes over the years. Originally, it butted up against a wood ridge. It’s a one-and-a-half story, four-bay, wooden shingled structure. The front door is composed of vertical wooden planks. It has a sharply pitched roof with “six over six” windows. The basement has massive stone walls and is partly cut into a stone ledge. A stone chimney was rebuilt at one time. There’s a post and beam frame, and the interior exposes axe and adze-cut timbers. The rough-hewn, pegged rafters contain traces of bark. Although the interior is unadorned, there is wainscoting in the living room. A fireplace with a mantel is the centerpiece of the room. The floorboards are not the original but were salvaged from a house in Hartford. An eastern bay (or addition) was added later. It was a 6-foot section with its own entrance. The general consensus is that this was used for the post office.
Various Greenwich Postmasters
The Postmaster’s position was an appointed position, which changed hands depending on the party in power in Washington DC. In 1809, Isaac Weed – who owned Weed’s Tavern on West Putnam Avenue (where the Community Chest used to reside) – was appointed the second Postmaster of Greenwich. In 1853, Sam Close became Postmaster. His office was located on East Putnam Avenue where Pickwick Plaza is now located. Close shared it with the Probate Court and the Town Clerk.
Joseph E. Brush was Postmaster in 1861. He had an office on the northwest corner of East Putnam Avenue and Sherwood Place, where Outdoor Traders more recently resided. In 1895, the post office relocated to the corner of Lewis Street and Greenwich Avenue. A room was leased from a store for $600/year for 5 years. The history is vague for the next few years, but I discovered that a new first-class post office was opened in 1917 at the intersection of Greenwich Avenue and Arch Street. As shops and stores opened on Greenwich Avenue, this became the business center of Town, and it seems logical that a post office should be located near the center of commerce.
Historic Importance
At one time, there were 11 different post offices throughout the villages and neighborhoods of Greenwich. Now there are only six. Trains, planes, and trucks have replaced the horse and wagons that used to carry mail along the Boston Post Road. Letter carriers still deliver mail, and you can still buy stamps at a post office, but stamps are now available from retail stores and vending machines. You can order stamps by mail. Some companies even sell software to print postage from a computer. People can arrange to have outgoing mail picked up by making a request electronically. The Internet has impacted mail tremendously. The Postal Service has begun embracing modern technology to improve customer service.
In 1986 this building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s part of the Greenwich Municipal Historic District. The architecture is very unique. Today, it is a retail center including Restoration Hardware.
SOURCES
Nova, S; n.d.; Greenwich Landmark Series, Greenwich Historical Society; Greenwich’s First Post Office; accessed 11/2/2017.
Clarke, E; Before and After 1776; Greenwich Historical Society, Greenwich CT, 1976.
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