daughter-in-law Edith Misener had the Post Office in her house for the next two years, after which it was in Patrick Horgan’s home.

In 1961, at the request of the National Park, a summer Post Office, open from June to September, was established in the office of Bagnall’s Cottages, adjoining Stanhope Campgrounds; it was called Stanhope-by-the-Sea PO. and was operated by Mrs. Reagh Bagnall until it was closed in 1982.

In 1968 the Stanhope P.O. was closed and a new Post Office in Little York received the mail for this area; the mail is now delivered by truck from Charlottetown to Little York P.O. whence the courier delivers it by car to the resident’s mail boxes. Mrs. Marion Youland was the courier from 1968 to 1979, when Vic and Queenie Deacon took over the route. Earlier couriers were Michael Reardon, John Martin, and D. Kennedy during the period 187 5-1881, followed by S. MacDonald, T. Kelly and F. Kelly and C. Reardon. From 1909 to 1952 couriers included H. Hardy, W.H.P. Cook, D. MacMillan, A.A. MacDonald, Cyrus and Melvin Jay, Lester Keizer and Peter Proude. Seymour Birt was courier from 1952 to 1961, and Lorne Birt from 1961 to 1968.

An interesting comment on changed values: in 1855 the total postage collected from Covehead for the year was 25.11.10 1/2, and postmasters were paid 5/-per quarter.

The Telephone

In 1884 there were 83 telephones in 73 exchanges on P.E.I.; and not long after, in 1899, George Longworth proposed to the Telephone Company of P.E.I. that there should be a telephone service and connection to Tracadie. The Company agreed to furnish six telephones, at a yearly rental of $90; these phones were to be placed at Dalvay, for Alexander MacDonald; at Colonel Orr’s residence nearby; at the Acadia Hotel, Tracadie Harbour; at the Cliff Hotel; at Mutch’s Hotel in Stanhope; and at Auld’s store (now Ira MacDonald’s home) in West Covehead. In 1901 Robert and Neil Shaw petitioned the Telephone Company to extend a line from the one serving the Cliff and Mutch Hotels to Shaw’s Hotel; and in 1903 there was a petition from the Tracadie residents to have a telephone communication at or near the Cross Roads, as the one at Acadia Hotel was little use to them, as it only was open for three months in the summer. In the 1905 list of Long Distance Subscribers and Toll Offices we find D.H. Auld’s store in West Covehead listed; in Stanhope, Francis (Frank) McCabe; J .J . Davies at the Cliff Hotel; and Francis Mutch at the Mutch Hotel; in Tracadie there were Alexander MacDonaldat Dalvay, Colonel Orr, and the Acadia Hotel: not much change.

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