In 1693, the first notice of an ‘official’ postal service for the colonies was issued and the first colonial post office was born.   The General Court of Massachusetts mandated that Richard Fairbanks’ tavern in Boston was the designated repository of mail brought from or sent overseas.  It was not unusual to use an existing business as a mail drop.  In England and other international locations, it was common to use coffee houses and taverns as makeshift post offices.