Researchers have long recognized the great value in the work of Guy Reed Ramsey in chronicling the history of Washington state.  At the Washington State Library, the librarians who assisted him with his initial research using our collection's newspapers, maps and printed materials located in our Northwest collection, were probably aware of the value of his research from the very beginning. Their appreciation of Mr. Ramsey's work undoubtedly played a part in his decision to entrust the State Library with the care of his final manuscript. Whatever disputes or controversies arose in the future in the publishing of his work, Mr. Ramsey knew that his original research would always have a home here.

Bringing Mr. Ramsey's work into the digital age has been a time consuming process, especially considering the enhancements we wished to incorporate: a digital platform that allowed for commenting, visual mapping of the offices, and corrections, updates, and confirmations of his research as we were able. Efforts to bring about this new vision for Postmarked Washington began well-before the COVID era, and were hampered by all of the usual (and sometimes unusual) problems that befall large projects. The work will continue, and the project will be ongoing for the forseeable future. We appreciate any and all constructive feedback which leads to the improvement of this project.

All State Library staff, past and present, should receive some credit for the idea and success of this project. However, the main body of work  in bringing Postmarked Washington online has fallen to three staff members. Evelyn Lindberg, Applications Librarian, has done all of the heavy lifting with our online platform, Omeka. She created the site architecture, updated software, and solved the numerous tech problems which arose. Mary Paynton Schaff, Northwest Librarian, uploaded the essays and provided the mapping for the post office locations. Reference Librarian Julie Thompson copy edited the post office essays, confirmed Mr. Ramsey's citations, and added additional content such as Historylink essays and historical photos. 

The family of Guy Reed Ramsey has been wonderfully supportive of this project. The staff of the State Library is indebted to all the family for the permission to pursue this project, and bring their father and grandfather's work into a new age. Thank you!

WHAT'S NEW (as of June 20, 2025)

Due to budget cuts at the State Library, the Postmarked team has been dissolved and no further updates are currently planned. However, before their departure, the Postmarked team members, joined by project staff member Santina, prepared one last county for release. Stevens County now joins the five other counties already available and rounds out the north-eastern section of Washington state. Stevens County contains the second largest number of entries for the counties currently available. We hope you enjoy this new content. It's been truly a pleasure to bring the work of Guy Reed Ramsey to a larger online audience.

(as of April 29, 2025)

Local historian and friend of the State Library, Jennifer Crooks, wrote an article for Whatcom Talk featuring Postmarked Washington's content for Whatcom County. Thanks for the shoutout, Jennifer!

(as of April 11, 2025)

The Postmarked Washington team presented on the project at the Washington Library Association (WLA) annual conference in Tacoma: "Unpublished Manuscript to Public History: The Washington State Library's Postmarked Washington Project." A small group of 20 or so librarians from the association provided an appreciative audience and helpful feedback to the team!
 

(as of December 18, 2024)

We've completed a neat little update which folks have been asking for since our initial roll-out. Timelines for post office development across each county are now available on the county pages! These timelines better represent Ramsey's original intention of how Postmarked was meant to be read: in chronological order. This is how he arranged his initial manuscript, and we're grateful to team member Evelyn for making it happen.  Thank you!
 

(as of November 20, 2024)

Guy Reed Ramsey's younger son Fred was obliging enough to meet Postmarked team member Mary Schaff for breakfast recently. The two talked all about the Postmarked Washington online project, as well as Guy's research methods and personality. Thank you, Fred, for all you've done to make this project a reality! (see photo below)

(as of October 27, 2024)

Postmarked team member Mary Schaff appeared on Felix Banel's podcast "Cascade of History" to talk about their mutal love of Guy Reed Ramsey and all things Postmarked. Listen to the episode wherever you download podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud!
 

(as of October 18, 2024)

At long last, it's roll-out day! The first five Washington counties of Postmarked Washington are making their worldwide debut: Whatcom, Grays Harbor, Walla Walla, Pend Oreille, and Ferry.