Perot Post Office

Perot Post Office Review

To some, this rather austere 1840s structure is simply a place to mail a letter. To stamp collectors, on the other hand, the lovingly restored, fully operational post office named for Hamilton's first postmaster is a veritable shrine. William Bennet Perot was certainly a genial fellow: he would meet arriving steamers, collect the incoming mail, stash it in his beaver hat, and then stroll around Hamilton to deliver it, greeting each recipient with a tip of his chapeau. But it was his resourcefulness that made him most famous among philatelists. Tired of individually hand-stamping outgoing letters, Perot began printing stamps in 1848. Of the thousands he produced, only 11 still exist—and several of those are owned by Queen Elizabeth. If you'd like to get your hands on one, be prepared to dig deep. In June 2005 a Perot-era one-penny stamp sold at auction for a record-breaking $244,000.