The first regulation mail wagons were introduced in the 1870s. These wagons were quite ornamental, often embellished with painted eagles, decorative trim, and red, white, and blue stripes. The wagons were often too expensive for smaller urban areas and were unlikely to have been found in Vermont. Although the screen wagon became widespread by 1895, the 1899 image below indicates that simpler, less ornate mail unscreened mail wagons were still in use in the years before the automobile. If a horse-drawn mail wagon with out a screened enclosure is found in an historic Vermont image, it would likely date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Mail Wagon: Image courtesy of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum online exhibit
