Saving a long trip: Post Office on Wheels goes to the Amish

BALTIC ‒ Every weekday morning, Zack Triplett heads out from the Baltic post office, bringing the U.S. Postal Service to nearby Amish residents in Coshocton and Holmes counties.

He goes to about 20 Amish businesses to pick up packages and makes lengthy, scheduled stops in Farmerstown and New Bedford. Residents in those two communities walk up or come by bicycle or horse-drawn buggy to the Post Office on Wheels to mail packages, buy stamps or conduct any other type of business that people would do at a brick-and-mortar post office.

"This is kind of like their post office. It definitely helps them out so they don't have to travel all the way down to Baltic," Triplett said.

There are no post offices in Farmerstown or New Bedford. The nearest offices are in Baltic and Fresno.

"For them, that could be a half a day's trip maybe. Bringing it out here to them definitely helps," he said.

Baltic's Post Office on Wheels has been in operation for three years. Baltic is just one of two post offices in Ohio that goes out to pick up packages from Amish businesses. The other is in Fredericksburg in Wayne County, but it's not a mobile unit offering other services like Baltic.

Triplett receives all sizes of packages when he makes his daily rounds — everything from 2 ounces to 70 pounds.

The packages come from a variety of companies, including a horseshoe business, a company that repairs farm equipment, a man who sharpens razor blades and a company that sells a mix for making ice cream. Items also include housewares and fishing tackle.

The Post Office on Wheels can be found in Farmerstown from 8 to 10 a.m. and New Bedford from 10:30 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. New Bedford is the busier location.

"From about August to Christmas we get hammered pretty good," Triplett said. During the peak season, he handles anywhere from 150 to 200 packages a day.

Andy Hershberger, owner of New Bedford Sports Supply, appreciates the service. He previously used a different shipping company to mail packages, but he said the Postal Service is cheaper.

"It's awful handy for us," he said. "We pay them $200 and we don't have to worry about paying every time."

Holmes County Commissioner Joe Miller said people in the area like the mobile post office.

"The postmaster over there (Baltic) needs to be complimented," Miller said. "He's doing this for the Amish community, and they absolutely love it. Now anybody can use it, but New Bedford doesn't have a rural post office. So they're getting the same opportunity. There's a lot of little businesses, and they can send stuff out at that portable post office with commercial prices."

When the service began, the mobile police office handled about 7,000 parcels. That number has grown to 14,000 parcels a year.

"As it keeps going, they all talk out there and we get more businesses to jump on the truck," said Alan Metzcar, Baltic's postmaster. "It's kind of a fun thing to see how things evolve."

He said his customers love the service.

"It's a good thing. I encourage other postmasters to get involved in something like this because the Amish need this kind of service. They really do," he said.

"I just enjoy helping the community and being involved in the communities to show that we're there to support them. That's what it's all about, just being out in your community and giving the best customer service you can give them."

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Baltic's Post Office on Wheels serves Amish community