While established in 1874, the J.W. Westcott story begins December 19, 1848 with the birth John Ward Westcott to a prominent Michigan shipping family. John’s uncle, Eber Ward, founded Ward’s Central and Pacific Line as well as Ward’s Detroit and Lake Superior Line with the purchase of Ste. Huron. Following the purchase of Ste. Huron John’s father, David H. Westcott, served as a fireman aboard the vessel. Through John’s formative years his father and uncle continued to make a name for themselves in the shipping industry which no doubt piqued John’s interest.

As a boy, John worked in his father’s boat yard and went on to be a cabin boy on Ste. Forester by 1861. By age 20, John earned his master’s papers, becoming (at the time) the youngest captain on the Great Lakes.

As a Master, Westcott understood the challenges that shipping vessels faced including lack of ship to shore and shore to ship communications. At the time, a common practice of the shipping industry demanded that destinations of cargoes be closely guarded. Westcott had first hand knowledge of the problems surrounding this practice as even the ship’s masters were unaware of where their journey would end. With a lack of reliable forms of communication between shipping companies and their vessels ever-changing weather conditions, congestion in ports, breakdowns in equipment and other unforeseen complications anywhere along the Great Lakes could spell financial disaster for a company. Westcott sought to remedy this communication problem by establishing our company in the Port of Detroit circa 1874.

The marine reporting agency John founded would field destination and dock information from shipping companies and deliver them to passing vessels from his dock on Belle Isle. The modern marvel of engineering - a line tied to a bucket - would be thrown over the side of the passing vessel. Westcott would place communique inside and the bucket would quickly hoist back up. This string of events would come to be known and ‘mail in the pail’.

Over the years, the business grew and services expanded to more that just company reporting. In 1948, the J.W. Westcott became an official U.S. Postal Service mail boat and soon would earn the world's first non-military floating postal ZIP code—48222.

Today, J.W. Westcott continues to serve the Great Lakes marine community providing everything from mail and sundries to your latest delivery from Amazon.