The community of Humboldt celebrated when a new Post Office building opened its doors to the public in March 1956. The yellow brick building saw several changes over its years of operation, including a large addition in the mid-1960s and the addition of a lift for the inside steps in the late-1990s. The building’s owners leased the basement to a variety of businesses and organizations, including a local law firm from 1990 to 1995; the space has remained vacant since.
Air quality tests revealed mold problems in the building in April 2003, forcing the post office to relocate. The Humboldt Independent notes the tests were conducted following reports of employees getting sick in the building. The Post Office quickly moved to a “temporary” location in a former drugstore a few blocks southeast in downtown Humboldt. A 2004 plan to construct a new, permanent location for the Humboldt Post Office was scrapped due to U.S. Postal Service budget concerns. The once-temporary location remains home to the Post Office today. Read the rest of this entry »
Published February 3, 2012 |
Post Offices |
In November 1965, a contract was awarded to resident Harold D. Burkholder to build a new post office in the Iowa County community of Parnell. With an interior space of nearly 1,200 square feet, the new post office had air conditioning along with a separate parking area. The new Parnell Post Office building was officially dedicated in September 1966.
The Williamsburg Journal-Tribune reported the dedication brought 700 people from Parnell and the surrounding area. The dedication included a flag-raising ceremony from the local American Legion group, a benediction from a local Mennonite pastor, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony performed by Parnell’s mayor. The dedication was followed by an open house.
Postal service originated in Parnell in November 1884 under the Callan moniker, in recognition of the large property ownership by the Callan family at the time. The name was changed following the official establishment of Parnell when the Milwaukee Railroad line was connected to the community. The Post Office had a variety of locations, including local grocery and hardware stores.
Published January 27, 2012 |
Post Offices |
Iowa County
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The Austinville State Savings Bank was established in the unincorporated Butler County town of Austinville in 1911. In addition to surviving the Great Depression, the bank survived a number of robberies and attempted robberies. In 1922, over $2,000 was stolen from the safe while nitroglycerin was used in a similar robbery attempt in 1930. Another robbery occurred on February 17, 1940, when burglars cut through the bank’s 3,000-pound safe to steal $1,000. The last robbery was October 4, 1985, as a new security system was installed shortly after the incident.
After a series of acquisitions, the bank was converted to a branch of the Lincoln Savings Bank. When the Lincoln Savings Bank decided to close the Austinville office, community members met to discuss ways to preserve the historic building, related memorabilia, and the contract post office which shared space with the bank. The Austinville Historical Society was quickly formed and took control of the building. The post office branch continued to operate for more than a decade before its closure on June 2, 2011.
Published January 23, 2012 |
Banks, Post Offices |
Julie Van Holland was the first customer to the new Post Office facility in the Sioux County community of Rock Valley, which opened its doors to the public at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, June 1, 1970. Construction on the $61,000 facility was finished a few days prior, nearly a year and a half after the construction contract was signed and over four years after the U.S. Postal Service formally announced Rock Valley would receive a new post office facility. The building was formally dedicated July 16, 1970.
Published January 20, 2012 |
Post Offices |
Sioux County
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Postal service was established in the Winnebago County community of Leland on November 18, 1881, though for the first four, the town was known as Lelandsburgh. The name was chosen in honor of the community’s first Postmaster, J. D. Leland, whose home served as the initial Post Office location. The Post Office was moved six times before settling in its present location in 1965.
Published January 13, 2012 |
Post Offices |
Winnebago County
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