Nearly ten years ago, black mold was first discovered at the Lu Verne Post Office and a clean-up was conducted. The clean-up was unsuccessful, and a test two years later in showed mold problems continued to exist. The building was vacated and the Post Office was relocated to Lu Verne City Hall two blocks north in September 2003. Once considered a temporary relocation, this unique sharing arrangement remains in place today.
Established in 1880, the town of Redding was one of several in the state established at a stop along branches of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. Postal service to Redding was established twenty years prior, though the location was originally established two miles to the north. In 2000, the Ringgold County town’s official population dipped to 78, the lowest in 120 years and a significantly drop from the community’s peak population of 310 in 1900.
The Redding Post Office sits on the south side of the nearly-abandoned square and is open four hours daily. Since this photo was taken, the building’s exterior has been refurbished with new metal siding.
On June 1, 2007, a tornado twisted through the communities of Fruitland, Grandville, and Muscatine damaging or destroying more than 100 homes and businesses and causing $2.7 million dollars in damage. The Fruitland Post Office was among the buildings destroyed in the tornado, and for a while, the future of postal service in the Muscatine County town was unclear.
A town hall meeting was held September 25, 2007, during which time the U.S. Postal Service informed residents service would only resume if the city committed to rebuilding the post office in the same location where a lease agreement was in place. Moving the Post Office to a new location would require termination of the lease, resulting in formal suspension of operations that could mean a 4-5 year timetable to rebuild or even discontinuation of the Fruitland branch.
On October 9, 2007, the Muscatine Journal reported city officials were committed to rebuilding the Post Office at the same location, even if it required fundraising for building supplies and donated construction labor. A local committee was formed to manage the rebuilding process and coordinate with the U.S. Postal Service to ensure the new facility met current specifications. Nearly 30 months later, construction was complete on the new Fruitland Post Office, which officially reopened February 18, 2010. The location is open seven hours weekdays, plus two hours each Saturday.
The 21,000-square-feet Carroll Post Office opened its doors with little fanfare on Monday, July 13, 1970. Built at an estimated cost of $239,000, the air-conditioned facility offered four times the space as the previous building including rooms for record storage, mechanical equipment, mail bags and postal equipment. Customers benefited from the location move with a larger lobby, more post office boxes, and standalone mailboxes in the parking lot to allow letters to be deposited without leaving the car. The previous post office served the Carroll community for 46 years.
In December 1965, the U.S. Postal Service awarded a contract for a new post office to be constructed in the Sioux County community of Ireton. The 1,584-square-feet building, which featured a loading dock along and dedicated parking space, was officially dedicated October 1966. The dedication ceremony included a speech from U.S. Congressman Stanley L. Greigg, an Ireton native. He said the new building was “like a shiny penny on main street.” Around 100 residents attended the ceremony.