Have You Heard About Michigan’s Floating Post Office?
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Detroit is known for its many landmarks from the inviting space of Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza to The Renaissance Center and the Spirit of Detroit.
But did you know the Motor City is also home to a floating post office?
You read that right. Floating in the Detroit River is an iconic, one-of-a-kind piece of Michigan history. The J.W. Wescott II isn’t just an iconic landmark, it’s also the site of the only floating zip code in the United States — 48222.
This massive mailboat that dates back to 1949 is still a workhorse. For 24 hours a day during the shipping season, the Wescott delivers mail, cargo, and even crew members to freights making their way through Detroit.
Becoming a Mainstay on the Great Lakes
The Wescott Company was established in 1874 by John Ward (J.W.) Wescott who ferried important supplies such as coal and timber from a rowboat via a rope and bucket system to passing ships.
Twenty years later, the “mail in a pail” system became an important lifeline for passing ships to get important telegraph messages and messages from loved ones to crewmen on the ships.
The “mail in a pail system” worked like this: A passing ship would throw a towline to the rowboat. While the boat was being towed in, the crewman in the rowboat loaded letters and supplies into a bucket lowered by the ship. When the transaction was completed, the towline was tossed and the rowboat continued on to other ships.
For a brief time, the U.S. Postal Service ran a competing mail delivery service after seeing Wescott’s success, but Wescott ultimately won out and was awarded the postal charter in 1948.
In 1949, the Wescott Co. commissioned a company in Erie, Pennsylvania to build the J.W. Wescott II — which measured 45 feet in length with a 13-foot beam. Without needing a tether line, the boat was free to speed from boat to boat, delivering letters and supplies.
DID YOU KNOW: During the 1950s, the Wescott was said to deliver about a million pieces of mail each season.
Completing over 6,000 trips per year, the craft was known for its speed and nearly spotless safety record.
One unfortunate exception came in October 2001 under the Ambassador Bridge when it was caught in the wake of an oil tanker from Norway. While the ship was later salvaged, refurbished, and put back in service, two crew members were killed and two passengers were rescued.
DID YOU KNOW: The Wescott crew was honored in April 2024 for helping to save a steel worker’s life in July 2023 when he fell off the Ambassador Bridge.
A Steady Workhorse on the Detroit River
Seventy-five years after its construction, the J.W. Wescott is still a maritime workhorse. From April to December, the Wescott is open 24 hours a day and on holidays at 12 24th Street near the Ambassador Bridge.
Through the years, the Wescott has earned a well-deserved reputation as a mailboat, but it’s also been the site of a wedding and its legacy has been honored by the National Museum of the Great Lakes.
Sitting just 20 minutes from Detroit Metro Airport, the Wescott continues to process mail and it also accommodates deliveries of other items such as sundries, personal items, necessary mechanical parts, and even pizzas on occasion.
The Westcott Co. also operates the ship as a pilot boat, helping to deliver pilots familiar with the Great Lakes to foreign vessels.
DID YOU KNOW: The Wescott also operates with Door Dash and its address is listed with some of the most popular food delivery apps.
Take a Cruise Aboard the Wescott
The award-winning Detroit Riverwalk includes many iconic landmarks along the Detroit River. Residents and visitors can experience that majesty in a new way with a tour aboard the Wescott.
Heading up the river at a comfortable pace, tourists can enjoy views of Belle Isle, Hart Plaza, The Renaissance Center, West Jefferson Park, and more.
Tourists can also book a tour that includes two passings of the Gordie Howe Bridge and a tour of Zug Island, the Rouge River, and the Detroit dock location that played a role in the Manhattan Project.
Tours last about two hours and can accommodate groups of up to six people.
See Michigan’s Only Floating Post Office For Yourself
Whether you sail the Great Lakes or not, the J.W. Wescott — Michigan’s only floating post office — is impressive. Visit the ship’s office near the Ambassador Bridge or book one of its tours to see the Detroit skyline from a whole new perspective.
This iconic piece of Michigan and Detroit continues to make its mark on maritime history and continues to be a Detroit River dynamo, delivering mail and essential supplies to ships in need.
