Meet Michigan’s floating post office: How mail gets to Great Lakes freighters

Detroit’s J.W. Westcott Co. has delivered mail to Great Lakes freighters since 1874, starting with rowboat messages and now operating as a full-service floating post office with its own ZIP code, 48222.

From Amazon packages to handwritten letters, the boat connects crews to the outside world as they pass through the Detroit River, using a distinctive “mail in the pail” system, where buckets are tied to ropes and hoisted up and down ship sides to transfer mail between vessels.

Take a look inside the unique operation:

Sam Buchanan speaks into a communication device while on the M.S. Westcott.

General Manager and captain Sam Buchanan, 58, of Detroit contacts a freighter as he pilots the M.S. Westcott out to meet the ship to deliver its mail. (Josh Boland | Bridge Michigan)

M.S. Westcott right next to a big, blue freighter.

The M.S. Westcott receives packages from a freighter on the Detroit River.

General manager and captain Sam Buchanan, 58, of Detroit carries a box up the steps of the M.S. Westcott to deliver it to the Everlast tug pushing the Norman Mcleod barge on the Detroit River.

Shipmate JC Sharp holds a bag of mail with one hand and gives a thumbs-up with the other hand.

Shipmate JC Sharp, 32, of Highland gives a thumbs up before sending a bag of mail up to a crew member on a passing freighter on the Detroit River. (Josh Boland | Bridge Michigan)

You can see the back of a man's head. In the window, you can see the Renaissance Center in Detroit.

The Renaissance Center is seen out of the front window of the pilot’s house of the M.S. Westcott as it heads along the Detroit River. (Josh Boland | Bridge Michigan)

(Top left) A t-shirt celebrating the J.W. Westcott’s history hangs on the wall inside the JW Westcott Co. (Top right) A souvenir mail pail is for sale at the J.W. Westcott Co. (Bottom left) A replica of the J.W. Westcott II sits encased in glass. (Bottom right) An old poster showcases the J.W. Westcott and its unique zipcode.

A crew member is on the edge of the boat as he pulls up a bag of mail.

A crew member on board a freighter hoists a bag of mail up from the M.S. Westcott. (Josh Boland | Bridge Michigan)

A floatation ring on the M.S. Westcott. (Josh Boland | Bridge Michigan)

The steering wheel of the M.S. Westcott. (Josh Boland | Bridge Michigan)

M.S. Westcott in the foreground. A freighter in the background.

The M.S. Westcott delivers mail to freighters, barges and tugs that make their way along the Detroit River. The JW Wescott Co. has been operating out of the Port of Detroit for 151 years. (Josh Boland | Bridge Michigan)

Related: