On Saturday, May 13th, 1899, Karl rode about 40km north from Oxford and stopped that night at the Terrace Hotel in Amherst. “I arrived at Amherst at 12 o’clock in good time for dinner at the Terrace Hotel. I found Amherst a lively little town and I put in a fine time there. I ran across McGregor Patterson, manager of the Electric Light Plant who called and took me to his church Sunday morning.”

On the stationary of a hotel that boasted about its convenient location, luxurious amenities such as hot and cold baths, electric lights, and bells, Karl penned his first letter to his younger sister Mattie, detailing the items he had packed for his upcoming journey. Along with his personal belongings, he also packed a small, leather-bound book that he intended to get stamped by postmasters to validate his travels. The first stamp in this book was acquired in the town of Amherst.

Amherst's post office used to occupy a space in a building situated at 50 East Victoria Street. This post office was a prime example of the 19th-century architect Thomas Fuller's work, who was also responsible for designing the Ottawa Parliament Buildings and 66 other post offices in small urban areas. Although the old post office building no longer exists, the red and grey sandstone building still stands prominently in Amherst and is now used for commercial purposes.