Guilford Post Office

Back in the day a town became truly recognized if there was a post office assigned to it. You could say it was “put on the map” as post offices became well known centers for news, business and personal mail. The history of some towns begin with their post offices although Guilford’s was an indication of business success first from the cotton mill and then from the quarries. Guilford already had some attention as it Howard County’s Election District 6 was called the Guilford District sometime between 1860 and 1870.

Guilford Post Office Opens

According to the US Postal Service records, the Guilford Post office opened on December 31, 1874 with Stephen P. Heath, the proprietor of the Guilford Mills, being the first postmaster. (Frederick) August Brunner, a local farmer, became postmaster of Guilford on August 29, 1888 and kept that position until February 1909. During that time, Mr. Brunner purchased the 160 acre Guilford Mills site from James A. Gary in 1894 just 4 years after the mill burned down.

On February 27, 1909, Andrew Kirkpatrick who was affiliated as a contractor with the local quarries including the Howard Granite Company and the Guilford Granite Company, became the local postmaster. Jason A. Lawrence, Arthur H. Gillis, Samuel Morningstar and John R. Tipton were the other postmasters of Guilford until June 30, 1920 when the post office of Guilford was move to Jessup.

The demise of the Guilford post office was likely due to the end of the granite quarry business. The post office was last located in the Guilford General Store which was just west of the old elementary school near the corner of Oakland Mills and Guilford Roads (see photo).

Other Early Area Post Offices

Savage had an even earlier post office once the Washington Branch Rail Road came close enough to have mail delivery and pick-up which started January 13, 1836 with the Savage Manufacturing Company agent, Amos A. Williams, also the postmaster. Ellicott’s (Mills) had a post office as early as April 1, 1798 with Samuel Godfrey as postmaster, Oakland Mills was operating by February 23, 1821 and on June 30, 1823 William Stockett was postmaster. Elk Ridge was a post office as early as October 24, 1815 operated by postmaster John Fairbanks and even Cooksville had an early start around July 7, 1816.

Sources:

https://www.archives.gov/research/post-offices

https://www.archives.gov/.../locations-1837-1950.html...

https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/Howard/HO-524.pdf