Toronto’s First Post Office (TFPO) is offering a limited run of Picture Postage stamps featuring a design by an 11-year-old letter writer and mail aficionado.
This spring, TFPO hosted the 2020 “Mail Matters” design contest, which invited young artists to draw the post office turned museum in their own style.
“I like to write letters to my friend ‘pen pals’ around the world. I like checking the mail and receiving a letter or invitation,” wrote Vanessa, the contest winner, whose design is featured on the personalized stamps.
Sheets of 26 domestic-rate stamps, complete with a souvenir enlargement, are available for $50 from the TFPO postal counter or online at bit.ly/3fHQBrH.
POST OFFICE, MUSEUM, HISTORIC SITE
Managed by the Town of York Historical Society, TFPO is a full-service post office, museum and National Historic Site located at 260 Adelaide St. E.—just like when it first opened its doors 187 years ago.
Originally a department of Britain’s Royal Mail, it’s Canada’s oldest purpose-built post office.
“It is in fact the town of York’s fourth post office, but when the city incorporated in 1834, this was the first post office—the first and only post office in the City of Toronto,” said Zoé Delguste-Cincotta, curator of the Town of York Historical Society.
While TFPO’s museum program is currently suspended due to COVID-19, the post office remains open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Sunday from noon-4 p.m.