Located in Detroit at the foot of 24th street just west of the Ambassador Bridge, the J.W. Westcott Company was originally formed in 1874 by Captain J.W. Westcott to inform passing vessels of changes in orders. The Westcott Company's role has changed to include a wide range of services.
June 1895 marked the first mid-river mail delivery by a Westcott mail boat beginning more than 100 years of "mail-by-the-pail".
All deliveries are carried out by the 45-foot J.W. Westcott II, with the Joseph J. Hogan standing by as a back up boat.
Today the Company's duties include:
U.S. mail delivery; freight delivery, storage, forwarding; message service; passenger service to and from vessels; pilot boat services for the Port of Detroit; the sale of nautical charts, postcards, books, candy and cigarettes, and even the occasional mid-river pizza delivery.
To send mail to a Great Lakes vessel:
Vessel Name
Marine Post Office
Detroit, Michigan
48222
Photos of the Mail Boat - images dated
from 1905 - current
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