Sally Brownson of Richmond became postmaster on this day in 1824. She was the first woman postmaster in Vermont. In fact, it would be another 25 years before any other woman would follow in her footsteps.

Sally Brownson acquired the position from her husband Thomas, a practice that became common in Vermont. Many women took over for their husbands or fathers when they had become too busy or had passed on.

By the 1880s, women as postmasters became commonplace. By the 1930s, over 40 percent of Vermont’s postmasters were women, more than twice the national average.

The Vermont Book Of Days photo.