Eliza Blanchfield

The East Windsor Hill Post Office located on Old Main Street in South Windsor Connecticut.

What is now a historical landmark within South Windsor, was the heart of a lively town seeking a new life during the 1700s, it is known as The East Windsor Hill Post Office. As you venture into this charming building you will become immersed in South Windsor’s rich history.

In 1757, David Bissell Jr. sold a portion of his property to a well-known barber, Jeremiah Ballard, who constructed a shop on Old Main Street. In 1759, Bissell Jr. gifted the rest of his land to his son, David Bissell III, who attached a storehouse to Ballard’s shop. This building would soon become the first operating trading post in America. 

During the 1700s various owners divided the structure, each one contributing products from their individual businesses. This small store provided dry goods, groceries, and other sustainable products. 

“Before we had postmen and postwomen, they would deliver the mail and goods via horses and trolly,” an East Windsor Hill Post Office employee, Vanessa Phillips, told The Prowl.

The East Windsor Hill received its first government post rider in 1783 and is still operational today. 

The South Windsor community enjoys having the oldest continually operating post office in America in their community. The elementary schools within South Windsor each take a field trip to the East Windsor Hill Post office, educating the youth of South Windsor on the rich history of their town. 

“It was a post office when it was still a general store in the 1700s. This is an awesome place to walk in and pick up your mail because of the historical style and feeling,” observed an Old Main Street resident, Philip Koboski.

Although the post office has evolved to meet the needs of modern South Windsor, many of the original aspects are still present in the operational post office. 

“We have the original locks from the first creators of the post office, they are old-fashioned combination locks,” Phillips added to her detailed description of the beloved post office. 

The East Windsor Hill Post office adds character to the town of South Windsor and highlights the cardinal role South Windsor had in the development of modern America. 

“It is a part of history. We love living in a historical home on Old Main Street and know the importance of preserving the history of South Windsor,” Brenda Koboski said, commenting on the importance of the post office. 

The East Windsor Hill Post Office is an environment to revel in South Windsor’s history, however, when you return to modern times it is evident that this post office has not lost its charm or its role as the heart of the South Windsor community.