The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

HISTORICAL MATERIAL Mrs. Stevenson, Jan. 1961 Information received direct from the Postmaster General, through Mr. Stipes, Postmaster at Hamilton post office reveals that Aldershot was made a post office on December 1st, 1856. The first postmaster appointed the Aldershot post office was Mr. Alex Brown. Aldershot Rural Mail Grows with Population by Hope Hoey The mushroom development of Aldershot district during the last five years has necessitated great changes in the handling of mail in this fast-growing community. The Aldershot post office has been under the care of the same family for 53 years, the present post-master, Bruce Sinclair, taking over in 1929 following the death of his father, George, who first handled the mail in October, 1898. Three years ago the post office was moved from its old location in the Sinclair's store at the stop light to the present modern building, built by Mr. Sinclair, on the Waterdown Road. In 1898 there were 50 boxes in the post office, each one serving several families, and the little post office was a recognized meeting place for growers of the district who gathered to exchange views on the affairs of the day after delivering their produce to the railway station for shipment. Mrs. George Sinclair recalled the great clouds of dust which shrouded the area as horses galloped with empty wagons down the hill from the station. Today there are 325 families with post office boxes and some 600 more being served by general delivery, with 500 mail boxes along the rural route. Until four years ago, Mr. Sinclair handled the rural delivery along with his other duties as postmaster, but with the population increasing steadily, he found it necessary to employ E. J. Taylor as letter carrier. Mr. Taylor is now a familiar figure in Aldershot as he drives his little English truck around the mail route every day. Many new residents are not familiar with the proper use of route boxes according to Mr. Taylor. Postal regulations require the box to be movable so that it may be turned at right angles to the road to signal the mailman that there are letters to be picked up. Similarly, the letter carrier will turn the box at right angles to tell the householder that mail has been left in his box. Empty boxes should be left parallel to the road. Mr. Taylor felt that it was not generally known that he carried stamps with him on deliveries. Service would be speeded up considerable, he said, if box-owners would follow the practice of buying stamps rather than putting money out in the boxes, particularly in the winter when pennies were particularly elusive to cold fingers. The Aldershot post office lobby is open every weekday from 8.30 am. to 7 pm., and the wicket from 9 am. to 6 pm. except Wednesday when it closes at 1 o'clock. Mail is received twice a day, at 9.30 am. from Toronto and 3.30 pm. from Hamilton and is dispatched twice a day, at 9am. and 3.30 pm.