First Post Offices
Later Post Office on Second Street.
Courtesy Jim Coad.
The New Mexico Territory was established as an organized, incorporated territory of the United States on September 9, 1850 at the end of the U.S. Provisional Government of New Mexico after Mexico ceded the region to the USA in 1848. On April 17, 1851 a post office was officially opened in Old Town on the Plaza with John Webber as postmaster 1. Not much is known about this first post office.
Albuquerque’s 2nd, “first” post office opened in New Town on February 10, 1881 when the U.S. government issued a charter to F. H. Kent as postmaster. After the railroad arrived in 1880, and commerce began to spring up around the station, it was only natural that the area needed it’s own post office. The original one in Old Town was now 1.6 miles to the west.
The 2nd post office was located on Third Street in a structure owned by Kent and across from the Armijo House. The building was so small that patrons had to line up (sometimes in the hundreds) outside to wait their turn at the window. A problem immediately arose when people would address letters to Albuquerque and might either mean the Old Town or New Town post office.
In 1882, a visiting postal inspector made the decision to close down the Old Town post office. This caused an uproar with the Old Town residents who felt they were being relegated to 2nd class citizens in favor of the raucous newcomers in New Town. Responding to the issue, the post office re-opened the older post office on the plaza but designated this one as Armijo with the New Town location allowed to exclusively use the name “Albuquerque.” In 1886, the post office officials changed the name of the plaza post office to “Old Albuquerque” and the New Town station as “New Albuquerque.” 2
Albuquerque’s 2nd, “first” post office opened in New Town on February 10, 1881 when the U.S. government issued a charter to F. H. Kent as postmaster. After the railroad arrived in 1880, and commerce began to spring up around the station, it was only natural that the area needed it’s own post office. The original one in Old Town was now 1.6 miles to the west.
The 2nd post office was located on Third Street in a structure owned by Kent and across from the Armijo House. The building was so small that patrons had to line up (sometimes in the hundreds) outside to wait their turn at the window. A problem immediately arose when people would address letters to Albuquerque and might either mean the Old Town or New Town post office.
In 1882, a visiting postal inspector made the decision to close down the Old Town post office. This caused an uproar with the Old Town residents who felt they were being relegated to 2nd class citizens in favor of the raucous newcomers in New Town. Responding to the issue, the post office re-opened the older post office on the plaza but designated this one as Armijo with the New Town location allowed to exclusively use the name “Albuquerque.” In 1886, the post office officials changed the name of the plaza post office to “Old Albuquerque” and the New Town station as “New Albuquerque.” 2
1 The Territorial Post offices of New Mexico by Sheldon H. Dike; 1958
2 Albuquerque, a Narrative History by Marc Simmons; University of New Mexico Press; 1982
2 Albuquerque, a Narrative History by Marc Simmons; University of New Mexico Press; 1982