This 1890 commercial cover was mailed from Sanford to T. L. Mead in Oviedo on May 26. The envelope features a green two-cent George Washington stamp and a clear 6 PM postmark. Of particular historical interest is the detailed corner card for Geo. H. Fernald, Hardware, Paints, and Builders’ Supplies. George Fernald was a prominent Sanford merchant and civic leader who established his hardware business in the early 1880s. His brick building, constructed in 1883 at the corner of First Street and Magnolia Avenue, remains a landmark in Sanford’s historic district today. This correspondence likely pertains to supplies for Mead’s extensive horticultural experiments or the construction of his estate, "Wait-a-Bit," in Oviedo.
GEO. H. FERNALD,
HARDWARE, PAINTS,
AND
BUILDERS' SUPPLIES,
SANFORD, FLA.