Rhode Island Postal Cards - Fist Day of Issue

Settling of Rhode Island by Roger Williams in 1636
Designed by David Blossom - Scott #UX112
Issued on June 26, 1986 in Providence, RI
Rhode Island Town Cancels (by RIPS)

The first Post Office in Middletown, (Middletown Township, Newport County) Rhode Island  was established on September 11, 1835.. The first Postmaster was John Barker. This post office was in existence for less than 9 months and was disestablished on June 1, 1836. There are no known covers in existence for the first Middletown Post Office. The Middletown Branch of the Newport Post Office was established on August 1, 1953 and is currently in operation. The Zip Code used on the above cancellation is incorrect; 02840 is the Zip for the Newport Post Office.

John C. Barker was born in Middletown on October 7, 1808. He was a sixth generation descendent of Governor James Barker, (born in Essex, England in 1617 died in Newport, RI in 1702). Governor Barker is named on the first Charter of Rhode Island in 1663 along with Roger Williams and others. James Barker was Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1678 to 1692.

Aquidneck Island was purchased from the Narragansett Sachems, Canonicus and Miantonomi by John Clark, William Coddington, Nicholas Easton and other exiles from the Bay Colony in 1638. The original settlement on the northern neck of the island was at Portsmouth. Coddington, Clarke and Easton left Portsmouth and began a new settlement at what became Newport in 1639. The area that became known as Middletown was included within the boundaries of the Newport settlement.

In 1640, Nicholas Easton began farming in the Sachuest Beach area of Middletown. Others soon followed including the Chases, Kings, Peckhams, and the Coggeshalls. Middletown remained a rural farming community into the early twentieth century. The Irish philosopher Bishop George Berkeley developed a 96 acre farm named Whitehall there in 1729, which is listed on the National Historic Register. William Redwood built a Country Home at Middletown in 1745 that is considered to be one of the finest Rhode Island estates still in existence.

The first school in Middletown was started in 1702 and in 1743 the residents of Middletown petitioned for and were granted status as a separate town. 

Sachuset Beach, also known as Second Beach is located in Middletown just east of Easton's (1st) Beach in Newport. Third Beach is also located in Middletown. (I used to swim there when I was about 6 or 7 years old. Once, while swimming at 3rd Beach, I ran my head directly into the bow of a dory, which required 4 stitches.)  

Middletown Branch (Newport) Post Office