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American Post Road Chart Printed on Linen
Exremely rare post road and distance chart, printed on linen, detailing the post roads in United States during the War of 1812.
Rare decorative broadside on linen detailed the services of the American postal system.
The broadside includes three charts summarizing the American post road network, surrounded by a decorative grapevine border, extra illustrated with medallions of the first four presidents, four sailing ships, Lady Liberty, and the seal of the United States.
The main chart tracks the distance between post towns along the "Main Line" from Georgia to Maine. To the right, a chart shows the "Cross Post Roads, giving distances along post roads crossing the main line and a statistical table.
This broadside is drawn from on a 1796 version issued in Boston by Samuel Ruddock and engraved by Benjamin Callendar.
Robert Gillespie
The printer, Robert Gillespie, was one of three sons of William Gillespie, Cotton Spinner and Calico Printer, who was active outside of Glasgow at the end of the 18th Century. One of his sons, Colin Gillespie, move to America and became a successful merchant. Colin's brother, Richard Gillespie, took over the calico printing business in 1808 or 1809.
Colin Gillespie arrived in the United States in 1793, became a citizen in 1798 and thereafter traveled between the United States and Great Britain on business for a number of years, trading under the name of Colin Gillespie & Company.
Richard Gillespie was the son of William Gillespie, who operated the a cotten spinning and calico printing business near Glasgow, in the town of Anderston.
As noted in Clan Stirling Online:
About the year 1790 most of these early Northwoodside feus became centred by purchase in the person of William Gillespie, calico printer in Anderston and cotton spinner at Mid Woodside. He was among the very first to establish these branches of business in this district. His print-works stood in the angle of what are now William Street and North Street. The cotton mill was situated at the junction of the Pinkston Burn with the Kelvin, on the west side of the recently formed Park Road, about opposite the English Episcopal Chapel of St. Silas. A mill of later date occupies at the present day nearly the site of Mr. Gillespie's old one.
The print-works in Anderston were popularly known as "Gillespie's Field," . . .
His three sons, James, Richard, and Colin, were, like their father, well known merchants and proprietors. The last was an eminent American merchant . . .
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