M/V Sophie C Is Lake Winnipesaukee’s Floating Post Office
The M/V Sophie C is an official US Mail Boat. (Daryl Carlson/Kamera Image Photography)
By Thomas P. Caldwell
Lakes Region visitors often are surprised when they learn that the Winnipesaukee Flagship Corporation, which operates Mount Washington Cruises, operates what is purported to be the oldest official floating post office in the United States, the M/V Sophie C.
Initially launched 81 years ago, in 1945, the Sophie C actually follows a long line of mail boats that have been used to carry US mail.
According to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum (https://postalmuseum.si.edu/moving-the-mail-steamboats), boats became a reliable way to carry the mail shortly after Robert Fulton launched America’s first successful steamboat line, connecting New York City and Albany via the Hudson River, in September 1807.
“Fulton’s steamboat carried mail as early as November 1808. Initially, letters were carried either unofficially by crew and passengers — bypassing local Post Offices — or under the existing provisions for ship letters, whereby postmasters at ports of call gave ship captains two cents for each letter and then charged letter recipients six cents postage. In 1810, Postmaster General Gideon Granger offered Fulton a contract to carry mail, but Fulton apparently declined,” the Smithsonian states.
That was soon followed by the New Orleans, the first commercial steamboat on the lower Mississippi River, which carried mail from New Orleans to Natchez, Mississippi, beginning in 1812. It also lacked a mail contract and, by December, Natchez’s postmaster, John Hankinson, reported a drop in revenue due to people bypassing the Post Office.
Congress authorized the postmaster-general to enter into contracts with steamboats to carry mail in 1813, provided that the cost would be no more than delivering it by land. Then, on February 27, 1815, Congress authorized mail contracts with steamboats “on such terms and conditions as shall be considered expedient”. Steamboat captains on the Hudson River line quickly signed contracts, but steamboats on the Mississippi River continued to transport letters outside the postal service, or as ship letters.
Finally, in 1823, Congress made it illegal for private express companies to carry mail by steamboat, and the Post Office Department contracted with steamboat operators along the East Coast, with mail contractors using stagecoaches when waterways were iced in. By 1827, steamboats also carried mail by contract between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans.
“In the mid-1800s, the Post Office Department greatly expanded its use of steamboats to carry mail,” the Smithsonian reports. “Between 1845 and 1855, the distance mail was transported by steamboat nearly doubled, from 7,625 to 14,619 miles.”
On Lake Winnipesaukee, the steamer Robert & Arthur offered the first mail boat service in 1892. Two years later, the Dolphin took over the route. The Dolphin became the first official post office on an inland body of water, receiving that designation from the United States Congress in 1916.
Prior to the Sophie C, the longest-running vessel plying the waters of Lake Winnipesaukee was the Uncle Sam, which operated from 1906 to 1961.
Not every mail boat served the entire lake. The Tonimar delivered mail in the Alton Bay-Alton-Wolfeboro area starting in 1929 and continuing until 1965, making around 40 stops at summer camps, cottages, and the islands — Little Mark, Redhead (Treasure Island), Waveland (Keniston), Mud (Varney), Little Mud, Farm Island, Spectacle, Pistol, Little Bear, Devens, and Echo. The boat also offered moonlight tours for vacationers and local residents.
Lake Winnipesaukee was not alone in utilizing mail boats for postal service in the past.
The Chocorua, a coal-fired steam vessel built on Lake Winnipesaukee, served Squam Lake at the turn of the last century, gaining postal service approval to deliver mail to the lake’s remote coves and islands in 1902. President Grover Cleveland and his family toured the 45-foot-long boat and embarked for Chocorua Island to attend services in 1904.
Boston General Ship & Engine Works built the Sophie C in 1945 as a temporary replacement for the MS Mount Washington, whose engines and boilers had been commandeered by the Navy during World War II. The M/V Sophie C originally provided boat service between Weirs Beach and Wolfeboro, launching from Center Harbor.
The M/V Sophie C received its mail franchise in 1969 and has served as a floating post office ever since.
Mail Boat Cruises
Today, the Sophie C continues to provide mail service to year-round and seasonal residents of the islands on Lake Winnipesaukee. Over the course of a summer, the Sophie C may deliver as many as 40,000 pieces of mail.
Passengers are welcome to join the 2.5-hour cruises. Along the way, the boat’s captain points out areas of interest and talks about life on the lake. Island residents often come to meet the boat at the dock to collect their mail.
The Sophie C operates Mondays through Saturdays from mid-June through mid-September, departing from a dock at Weirs Beach twice daily. The 11 am cruise makes stops at Loon Island, Bear Island, 3 Mile Island, and East Bear Island, while the 2 pm cruise stops at Camp Lawrence, Birch Island, Sandy Island, Cow Island, and Jolly Island.
As an official floating US Post Office, the Sophie C carries its own postal cancellation stamp, and it sells postcards that passengers can fill out and mail right on board. An on-board gift shop also carries a variety of snacks and soft drinks, including ice cream novelty treats, as well as t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other souvenirs.
The lower deck has varnished wooden benches. Up top, passengers are able to take in the sun and enjoy the open air while learning about the lake and its islands.
The Winnipesaukee Flagship Corporation also operates the MS Mount Washington, Winnipesaukee Belle, and Winnipesaukee Spirit. For more information and to book a cruise, go to https://cruisenh.com.