Brick Church Post Office
From Information sent to us by Tom Geiger
(TG) - 01/08/17
Additional Information from Jim Gerrish (JG)
Postcard Photo Crica 1900
The original Brick Church post office only
existed from 1882 to 1887 and I can imagine this (above) envelope
being carried down the street in your 1890s postcard. Another
post office was established in 1925 as a sub-station to East
Orange. That one appears to have been closed some time after
1981. TG
The above envelope has a 1917 flag
cancellation. These were popular in the US from the 1890s and as
late as World War II. These were machine cancels and there were
many varieties. People specifically collect flag cancels today.
The envelope might have been processed in the Commonwealth
Building shown below. TG
Postcard Photo Circa 1900
This building, built in 1887, which also
served as offices for the Orange Water Company, the East Orange
National Bank, the S&J Davis Restaurant (under the awnings on
the right) as well as the main East Orange Post Office which
opened there in 1886, was bordered on the front by North
Arlington Avenue, on the left by Arlington Place, and on the
right by Main Street (looking east). JG
Photo Circa 1890
To put that in perspective for
current (2017) residents of East Orange, in this view, looking
east, Main Street crosses the railroad tracks from left to right.
The white horse (and the red dot) mark the location of Arlington
Place, which today is called City Hall Plaza. The building in the
center is the East Orange Train Station which was opposite the
Post Office housed in the Commonwealth Building on the right. The
earliest Post Office operated by stationmaster and first
postmaster Isaac C. Beach from the Train Station in 1869, was
moved to the Commonwealth Building in 1886 by postmaster Mary E.
Simonson. JG
Postcard Photo Circa 1930
The Post Office at today's City
Hall Plaza was built in 1929, and looks much the same today...
Photo by Frederick Goode, January 2015
... except, of course, for the
solar panels, radio tower, and wheelchair ramp, as seen from the
elevated railroad tracks (evidenced by the shadow) across the
street from City Hall Plaza. JG
The above cover is one I created back in the
1970s. I was producing first day of issue covers under the ODDITY
label. I generally did 500 of each stamp issue. At this time in
1976, there was a question why the first day of issue was in
Belleville (the Clara Maass Hospital location) on a non-specific
date instead of her birthday in her birthplace of East Orange. I
thought this should be commemorated properly, so I took a full
box of 500 USPS envelopes and had them hand cancelled at the post
office in East Orange. Then I took them to Belleville for the new
stamp and cancel. I still have more than 100 of these so if you
want one, let me know and I'd be happy to share them with people
who appreciate history. I'd rather see them out there than in my
box. No charge!
Tom Geiger (TG)
[email protected]