The first post office opened in the capital, Freetown, in 1853. By 1960 there were 124 offices and agencies. In addition there were three travelling post office services on the Sierra Leone Government Railway. Following the devastating civil war of the 1990s, the network had shrunk to 24 offices listed in 2008.

The first postmark used at Freetown	The first postmark from Kaballa	Postmark from Freetown – Makeni Travelling Post Office	The unique 50c (gold centimes) surcharge marking