Castine’s new postmaster is a friendly face
Longtime clerk Hannah Smith promoted to top spot after Doug Terry’s retirement
“This is where I want to be for the rest of my career,” says Hannah Smith, who has been named Castine’s postmaster. Photo by Tricia Thomas.
Feb. 25, 2026
By Tricia Thomas
CASTINE—Despite years of hands-on preparation and a great mentor, Hannah Smith admits that she was a bit nervous on her first day as Castine’s new postmaster. Smith, of Bucksport, took over the full-time job from longtime postmaster Doug Terry, who retired in January.
“I wasn’t nervous going in, because I have done it. I did it in Surry and I’ve done it multiple times here. But when I started, on my actual first day, I was nervous,” Smith said on a recent morning at the historic Main Street post office–the oldest continuously operating post office in Maine, and the second oldest in the country.
Terry, interviewed by The Rising Tide before he left the post at the end of December, had hoped that Smith would take his place.
“She’s ready for the next step,” Terry said during that interview. “She’s got everything, to the tee, that my boss looks for in a postmaster.”
Terry’s superiors agreed. Although Smith wasn’t the only applicant for the position and thought she’d be passed over for a more senior-ranking candidate, she was interviewed early in the morning of Jan. 6. By late morning that same day, Smith was notified that she got the job.
“We really thought that [the position] was going to open to postmasters first. It’s almost always what happens. So, I lined up all of my friends that are postmasters [to apply]. People who are extremely smart and capable. People who I really get along with. People that I would love to have as a boss,” Smith said.
Now, Smith is the boss. She oversees myriad postal operations and a handful of staff, including intricate staff scheduling, at offices in both Castine and neighboring Penobscot. She also manages an average of 20 passport applications and renewals each week, a service for which the tiny post office has become famous, at least regionally. Helping customers get passports is her favorite part of the job, Smith said.
“Everybody was rooting for me, It was like a big party. We had balloons. We had lots of cupcakes and flowers. So fun.”
“I love being a part of people’s travels, whether it be they’ve never left the country, or they have every year for the last 60 years and they’re just renewing,” she said.
Smith also has been spending her days indoctrinating a cadre of temporary clerks on the unique aspects of providing postal service in Castine until a permanent clerk is hired to fill her former shoes.
“The thing that’s a little bit unique about this place is that our [mail delivery] route is very small. Another difference is that the Maine Maritime Academy is here, with all of its students. We separate all of their mail out separately. We scan it differently,” Smith said. In addition, Castine residents who live “on neck,” in Castine “proper” don’t get mail delivered to their homes.
“So, everybody ‘on neck’ is offered a free P.O. box,” Smith said. “But they still get mail that is addressed to their homes and, of course, the clerks who come in don’t know that. They don’t know the difference between ‘on neck’ and ‘off neck,’ and who gets mail delivery and who doesn’t. There’s also the question of who gets a free box and who doesn’t. That’s what we call local knowledge.”
While building such local knowledge takes time, it’s easier in the wintertime when Castine’s population is roughly halved, Smith said. It’s also a lot of fun, she added.
Smith joined the postal service about six and half years ago. During her first three years as clerk, she shuttled among more than 30 post offices throughout coastal Maine, including locations in Camden, Islesboro and Liberty, along with several on Mount Desert Island and the Blue Hill Peninsula.
“And I only showed up to the wrong office one time,” Smith said, laughing.
Smith transferred to the Castine post office–the nation’s second continuously operating post office after one in Hinsdale, New Hampshire–about three years ago. While she enjoyed traveling to disparate locations where she was needed, Smith quickly embraced the stability of working in one place.
“One of the things I love about my job is that I do the same thing every day. I know what’s expected of me. I come in, I do the same exact thing every day, even though each day can be a little bit different,” she said.
Smith with her former boss and mentor, Doug Terry. Terry, who retired in December, said it was his "New Year's wish" that Smith was awarded the post. Photo by Tricia Thomas.
“I also really love talking to people all day. I consider myself introverted, so when I’m here, I talk and talk. Then, I go home and I’m quiet and relax. So, it’s a really good balance, in that I get what I need here and I go home and I get what I need there.”
Smith also loved working with Terry, and already has incorporated much of what Terry modeled into her own daily routine.
“I took a lot of the things that I love from all of the postmasters I worked for, but mainly from Doug,” Smith said. “It was the kindness and respect that he showed. It wasn’t just about policies and ‘right’ and ‘wrong.’ There was so much more that I learned from him that is even more important to me—being part of a community, getting to know the people, and just being overly helpful. Doing things that aren’t typical, like walking [packages] out to peoples’ cars or stopping to talk to people.”
She added: “Overall, I try to follow the rules and just portray a lot of kindness and a friendly face.”
Terry was the first person Smith called when she got the job. “He was so excited. He said, ‘That was my New Year’s wish,’” she said.
Castine’s residents also are celebrating the decision.
“It really helped that I’ve been here for so long and that I know everybody. The town was extremely happy. Everybody was rooting for me,” Smith said, smiling broadly. “It was like a big party. We had balloons. We had lots of cupcakes and flowers. So fun.”
At 31, Smith is well below the average reported age of 47 for a U.S. postmaster. While instances are rare, she does occasionally get questions about how her age impacts her performance.
“It means nothing when it comes to how I perform my job. Not that I know everything—and I absolutely don’t think that—but there’s really no correlation between my age or my gender and what I do here. Absolutely none.”
Smith paused, and broke into a smile.
“My age just means I’ll be here longer,” she said. “I love it here. This is where I want to be for the rest of my career.”
