Did you ever wonder how Lake Winnipesaukee island property owners get their mail? Some islands are served by the M/V Sophie C, the oldest floating Post Office in the United States, but other islanders have come up with a different plan.
For years, Gilford Island owners set up mailboxes at the Glendale Docks. These boxes were haphazardly mounted out of order and hand painted by the owners capturing the essence of New England charm. On any given day you can see islanders pulling up to the Glendale docks to pick up their mail. Unfortunately, over time several of the mailboxes have been abandoned and the whole structure has fallen into disrepair.
Not surprisingly, it can be difficult to deliver the postage to this disorganized line-up of mailboxes. This year the U.S. Postal Service informed the Gilford Islands Association that the entire mailbox set-up wasn’t up to code as it lacked structural integrity making it unsafe. Rather than lose this landmark, members of an ad-hoc committee of the Gilford Islands Association got together to save the Glendale Docks mailboxes.
The committee is seeking donations for this endeavor and is working to rectify the structural integrity of the mailboxes. Further, they have reached out to Gilford island residents to submit their address details and contact information by December 2026 so abandoned boxes can be removed.
For now, and hopefully in the future, the mailboxes will remain a heartwarming sight at the Glendale docks. A reminder that while islanders appreciate the peace and solitude of their life out on the waters of Lake Winnipesaukee during the summer they also need to connected to life on the mainland from time to time.
