Residents of the Humboldt County community of Rutland celebrated in August 1967 when Postmaster General Lawrence F. O’Brien announced that a contract had been awarded to remodel the interior of the Rutland Post Office building. Air-conditioning was added to the 475-square-foot building, which still serves as the community post office today. A few minor changes have been made since 1967, including the addition of the ramp, a permanent flag pole and installation of a full-size mailbox.
Postmaster Vernon Copenhaven moved his staff into the new Glidden Post Office building on September 1961. The single-story brick building is in use today, a tenure much longer than any of the previous locations. The community’s first post office was established in March 1867 and located inside a wood-frame general store. The location changed frequently during its first 100 years, housed in a variety of downtown storefronts, a portion of a hardware store, a former bank building and an old furniture store. Glidden is a town of 1,253 residents located along Highway 30 east of Carroll in Carroll County.
Postal service was first established in the Sioux County community of Maurice on August 25, 1882, when a post office was established in the home of resident Alanson Sherman. After a number of location changes, the Maurice Post Office moved to its present building in July 1943. The brick structure was remodeled in the late 1970s when new exterior paneling was installed and the large plate glass windows were replaced with smaller, energy-saving window panes. Maurice is home to 254 residents.
About 150 residents from the Adams County town of Prescott and the surrounding area showed up for the dedication of the new Post Office on May 21, 1960. The ceremonies, which were held indoors in a nearby building due to inclement weather, began with two numbers from the Prescott High School Band, followed by a welcome from the Prescott Postmaster. The main speaker of the evening was Allen Kane, a field director for the U.S. Postal Service based out of Sioux City. The ceremony was concluded with a flag-raising conducted by the local American Legion post. An open house followed at the new post office with free coffee and donuts provided by the Prescott Commercial Club.
The post office in Prescott is one of over 250 in the state being reviewed for potential closure; view the full Iowa post office closing list.
The current Chariton Public Library building was dedicated with a grand celebration on October 28, 1904, a year after Andrew Carnegie pledged $10,000 for the library’s construction and just six years after a public library was first established in the Lucas county community. Designed by Chicago-based architects Patton & Miller, the library featured an interior layout unlike others being constructed at the time, with an arrangement so the librarian could oversee both main reading rooms from a single desk. The unique floor plan became known as the Chariton plan and was used throughout the country in the following years. A new addition was added in the 1990s; it doubled the library’s space, while retaining the architectural style of the historic building.