The post office in the Bremer County seat of Waverly was constructed in 1936 with funds provided by the Works Project Administration. The facility continues to serve the community, but was out of service for four months in late 2004 following a ceiling collapse in the lobby. Though the lobby was littered with nearly a foot insulation and plaster, the workroom floor was not impacted by the collapse, which occurred over the Labor Day holiday weekend.
By September 24, the Post Office moved to a temporary location at an old lumber building, two blocks away from the former location. Both box service and window service for stamps and parcels was available through the temporary location. A new ceiling was in place and work was completed on the walls and floors before the historic Waverly Post Office reopened January 28, 2005.
In June 1960, Postmaster General Arther E. Summerfield announced a contract had been signed for the construction of a new post office building in the Hancock County community of Crystal Lake. Still in use today, the 520-square-feet post office was built to meet the latest standards including modern fluorescent lighting and equipment and a low, open service counter. The Crystal Lake Post Office, was one of 1,400 new post offices constructed across the nation in 1960.
Like many small Iowa communities, the 41 residents in the Calhoun County town of Jolley consider the post office to be not only a place to pick up mail – but also a social gathering place to interact with other members of the community. The 1983 book Jolley: The First 100 Years pays tribute to the services the small-town Post Office (and its postmaster) provide:
The townspeople greatly appreciate the many services the postmasters have given us over the years that would never have been available in a large post office. If one forgets to address one’s letter, they let you know. If the postage isn’t correct, they put a note in your box so you can take care of it, and if you’ve been looking for a package, they might even call you and tell you that it came. If someone in the community dies, they post a sign by the window, and if you need something notarized, they provide the service. Many thanks to these fine people.
Leann I. Hawks has served as the postmaster of Jolley since 1993; postal service was first established to the Calhoun County community in September 1883.
The new Center Point Post Office was dedicated Saturday, June 13, 1970, with a ceremony including Marines from Waterloo and an address from Cedar Rapids-based U.S. Postal Service official Richard M. Loftus. Construction had begun on the 1,944-square-feet facility in July 1969, and the building was first occupied March 1. Postal service was first established in October 1844.
On December 7, 2000, a natural gas leak at a plumbing company sparked an explosion that tore through the business district of the Hardin County town of Hubbard. While there were fortunately no serious injuries, every downtown business was damaged and windows were broken in nearby homes. The heaviest damage was caused to Peet’s Plumbing, where the explosion originated, but other buildings saw collapsed walls, broken glass, and damaged signs. The Hubbard Post Office was the least damaged of the buildings on Main Street and was back in operation just three weeks following the explosion, the first business on the block to resume normal operation.
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