Old Treasury Department and government office building, Georgian architecture. Also a bit of the history of the Belize Post Office

September 8, 2022

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Paslow Building, home of the Post Office for many years. It was on the ground floor.

Mail amongst other freight being delivered to the old Post Office in 1924.

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Old Treasury Department and government office building, Georgian architecture. Also a bit of the history of the Belize Post Office

Hector Silva: My office in the Ministry of Local Government, Social Welfare, Cooperatives and Sports was in that section, where that man in black coat is standing, and the two persons standing by the wide door. Treasury Offices were further down. Upstairs was the Premier's office, the National Assembly and Cabinet Room and the rest upstairs was Ministry of Finance. Down below was the vault where all the currency notes were kept, before they came in circulation. Post Office was at the Paslow building, a small building behind this Building served as Post Office many years ago. Now it's the Magistrate court.

The words Post Office are carved above the door. Along with a royal emblem. They used to have the whole thing covered up with a board sign over the door in the same shape.

Here's a better view of the Royal Insignia George Rex or as noted on the crest.

Packages were picked up at that post office. You also paid the taxes there for the packages.

In a memorandum dated 7th January, 1830 from the Superintendent of the Settlement to the Magistrates, they were informed that a British Mexican Pocket (Ship) would be making regular calls to Belize with of the main purpose to transport mails. He appointed Captain Moriaty of the 2nd West Regiment, as the person to be responsible for all such mails.

It can thus be said that 7th January 1830 is the official date of the establishment of a Post Office in Belize and Captain Moriaty as the first Postmaster. The first Post Offices in district communities were established in 1879.

The Belize City Post Office has had a chequered history, particularly as regards disastrous fires. The Post Office originally seems to have been housed in the court House, but was later to be located on Regent Street, where in 1909 it was completely destroyed by fire, along with all the postal records. Stocks of postage stamps were held at the Treasury and were thus saved. The Post Office was then set up in the Council Chamber in the Public Buildings. On the evening of Saturday, 17 August, 1918, a disastrous fire broke out between the General Post Office and the District Commissioner’s Office. It spread rapidly to the Court House and adjoining buildings; the fire raged throughout the night. The General Post Office and all its equipment was completely destroyed, along with the stamp stocks in the Post Office was then temporarily located on Albert Street, and in fact was to remain there until the new Post Office was erected as part of the Public Buildings in 1930’s.

The Post Office moved to its present site in the 1940’s and was housed in the Paslow Building. The Paslow Building was destroyed in a fire on September, 2002. The Post Office then took up full residence in the Biddles Building where only the Parcel Office was housed.

(Ref. A Postal History Of Belize by: E. W. King)

Post Office in the Paslow Building.

Harold Usher: The SECOND Postmaster general of British Honduras was Captain Leigh Rodwell Hulse (1880 - 1918). During Captain Hulse's short time on this earth, he joined the Government Services at the age of 12 as a Copyist (whatever that was), His rise was phenomenal. He was Acting Colonial Auditor in his mid twenties, and at the age of 28, became the second Colonial Postmaster (that would have been in 1908) - a post he held until his death 10 years later in 1808 (don't know, if it was before or after the fire, or during the fire). As Postmaster General, he was the first Government Official to hire a woman into the Civil Service of British Honduras. He hired Virginia Fairweather as a Clerk (she was the aunt of Lt. Col. Donald and Denton Fairweather). Other information about Captain Leigh Hulse are: He joined the National Guard, known as the British Honduras Territorial Force at the age of 18, and became Lieutenant and aide-de-camp to the Governor, then Captain of "A" Company. He led training courses for the men going off to the war (presumably WW1) as a Captain in the National Guard. At 18, he was Justice of the Peace, Diocesan Treasurer, Lay Reader and Teacher in the Anglican Cathedral Sunday School. He was the only child of Stanley Ernest Hulse and Lucinda (Lucy) Elizabeth Usher. He was married to Amy Adeline Coffin, and together they parent eight children, including Rev'd Rodwell Gilbert Hulse and Dr. Bernice Marjorie Hulse, and others (Extracted from the Usher Family Tree, produced by Harold Usher).

Dora Riverol: Few might know that the Post Office and Customs were under one banner ...if you worked for customs you were considered a Post Office employee...my grandfather, Robert Arthur Clarke worked as a customs officer up to 1904 at which time he was still considered a Post Office employee...not certain when the departments were split.The Post Office today still collects customs duty tax on shipments via the post ...there was a Post Office building of brick construction going back to the 1800s behind the Courthouse going towards where the Bliss Institute is today...it had a tower for an employee to look out for ships arriving at Belize's port/harbor...I guess looking out for smuggling operations...I have a pic of it somewhere...it was a two storey stand alone brick building. Someday when I have the time I will share my collection of original letters with written contents mailed to and from Belize going back to the 1700s including our first stamps and my very large collection of covers ( business envelopes ) going back to the 1800s ... most interesting about this collection is that these covers show just about every business that ever existed in Belize...a soap factory in Monkey River...our famous hotels of old like the International and the Lainfiesta...etc etc. Also have envelopes addressed to our various Post Offices going back to the 1800s.

This photo shows our first Post Office located behind the Court House. This was destroyed sometime in the late 1800s. The Post Office was temporarily moved to the building in the photo just below on Albert Street. Leter it was moved to the Paslow Building.