All posts by Brian McMillin

Former Post Office 50606 (Arlington, Iowa)

Former Post Office 50606 (Arlington, Iowa)

Residents in the Fayette County town of Arlington received a notice on Friday, April 22, 2011, noting the closure of their post office was imminent. A meeting was held the following Monday at the local Lutheran Church, and the office was shuttered the following Wednesday. The Des Moines Register writer Kyle Munson chronicled the closure which was classified by the postal service as an emergency suspension. The office was one of over 30 closed in Iowa in 2011.

Former Post Office 50681 (Westgate, Iowa)

Former Post Office 50681 (Westgate, Iowa)

On August 8, 2007, postal services were suspended in the Fayette County town of Westgate after lightning struck the adjacent building. The structure was deemed unsafe and prone to collapse, causing the post office to be endangered and closed. After the post office was closed, cluster boxes were installed in a nearby lot, and a formal meeting was held with community members the following spring.

In April 2010, when this photo was taken, a piece of paper with the message “Temporarily Closed” was posted inside the front door. However, attempts to regain an office for the community were unsuccessful; it was officially discontinued on October 25, 2009.

Post Office 50471 (Rudd, Iowa)

Post Office 50471 (Rudd, Iowa)

On January 8, 1875, August Nienstedt was appointed the first postmaster for the Floyd County town of Rudd. Mail was originally delivered to Rudd by stagecoach, but by the late 1800s, mail arrived by railroad. That process lasted until 1960, when the train which carried mail to and from Rudd was discontinued. The current post office was constructed and dedicated in 1990.