Explore WA State’s Post Offices’ New Interactive Library Project

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, have announced the launch of its project, “Guy Reed Ramsey’s Postmarked Washington.” The web-based project maps and catalogues the post offices of the state and is available for the public to view, enjoy, and comment on now. The library plans to add more information on WA post offices to the map in the future to present more of Ramsey’s work detailing these historic sites from 1850 to 1960. 

The Whitcomb Cabin is a historic 18-by-25-foot log cabin near Glenwood, Washington that was built in 1875. It is the last building of the former community of Fulda, named for Mr. Whitcomb's home city, Fulda, in Germany. The cabin served as the post office of Fulda. (Photo/WikiCommons)“Telling the story of the Washington state territory through its post offices offers a unique perspective on the growth of our communities,” said Randy Bolerjack, deputy secretary of state in Washington, overseeing the state library. “It’s gratifying to walk along the path Guy Reed Ramsey took decades ago when he visited these post offices while working as a traveling salesman to the timber industry.” 

Historians have long valued Ramsey’s research on the development of post offices across our state, as it shines a bright spotlight on local history, the powerful personalities who drove and shaped western development, as well as the impact of timber, mining and railroad industries on the formation of Washington’s towns. 

This initial rollout of the digital version of Postmarked includes the post offices of five never-before published counties: Whatcom, Grays Harbor, Walla Walla, Ferry and Pend Oreille. The project will continue to add counties in the future, prioritizing those that are previously unpublished and then moving to include those out-of-print or otherwise unavailable counties. Kitsap and Stevens counties are currently in progress. 

Sadly, much of Ramsey’s research has remained unpublished since his death in 1980, and historians have called for his manuscript to be digitized and made more widely available for years.

“The Washington State Library’s bringing our father’s work to life is a project he would praise and be proud of,” said Fred Ramsey, professor emeritus in the Department of Statistics at Oregon State University, the youngest son of Ramsey. “The format using new digital mapping is superb and will greatly enhance the ability of those using it. In short, dad would be a happy man.” 

The “Postmarked” platform not only features Ramsey’s essays for each post office town, but also his original introduction to the topic, updated post office mapping, photographs  and suggestions for further reading provided by project librarians. The platform also includes the ability for researchers and family historians to comment and add additional contextual content to the site. 

Visit https://postmarked.primarilywashington.org to check it out. Feel free to add comments to provide any stories or context for the locations described by Ramsey.