10/15/2026
We have a little bit of a different for you today 😎
In yesterday’s (viral 🤭) video, we included a picture book called “Owney the Mail Pouch Pooch”, and the story is too cute not to share!!
In 1888, there was a scruffy little dog called Owney. He LOVED mail pouches, presumably because his former owner was a mailman (Smithsonian National Postal Museum). When his owner moved away, he stayed with his other mail-friends, and soon Owney started to follow the mailbags wherever they went!!
During this time, railroads were the primary mode of transporting mail, and, as illustrated in this picture book, Owney began riding the rails to make sure the mail reached its destination. He became the unofficial mascot of the Postal Service.
Wherever Owney travelled, Postal Clerks would hang badges from his vest, and he would proudly wear them back to his home Post Office in Albany, New York.
Even though Bow had several different railways that were used during that time, Owney didn’t make a stop in Bow. He was, however, in Manchester, NH and likely passed through on his way to Franklin, Tilton, Laconia, or other northern New Hampshire stops!!
Owney the Mail Pouch Pooch passed away in 1897, but he is preserved through taxidermy and on display at Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum.
Come check out this adorable picture book!!! And Happy Thursday 🐾✉️❤️
