Located in Woodbury County in northwest Iowa, Pierson was one of over twenty communities across the state to debut new brick post offices in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In a Sioux City Journal article, postmaster Bonnie Saxen indicated she had been working with postal officials “for years” to get a new, larger facility. “Finally our dream came through.” The “dream” post office was roughly 1,600 square feet, almost three times larger than the previous facility. Postal service was established in Pierson in 1884.
Constructed in 1914, the dark red brick Iowa Falls Post Office is one of 31 properties in Hardin County on the National Register of Historic Places. The building stands on a foundation of North Carolina granite and features four marvelous columns 30 inches in diameter and 22 feet high. The 450-square-feet lobby retains much of its original white oak woodwork, marble terrazo floor, and vaulted ceiling. Postal service was first established in Iowa Falls in February 1856.
Construction of a new community building was jumpstarted in 2004 when the late E. Lucille Miller left the Hancock Community of Corwith with a $100,000 donation. The state-of-the-art building includes city offices, the Public Library, and the Post Office. With a population of 309, the community has seen other improvements from private donations: Corwith native Bill Bonnstetter purchased the former Baptist Church and remodeled it for use as a spacious community center, and local business Hawkeye Pride Egg Farm committed $200,000 toward a new fire station, to be constructed in early 2012.
Corwith is part of the Corwith-Wesley-LuVerne School District. A recent article in the Mason City Globe Gazette noted the district high school had the highest average ACT score in Iowa for 2006-2007, and has averaged over 23 points three of the past five years. (The national average score is 21.2.)
The unincorporated Warren County community of Prole was founded in 1884 and named for local businessman Albert Westren Prole. Postal service was established in September 1884 and has continued since; the location now is open two hours daily. The Post Office shares a building with Gabby’s Restaurant, which serves classic comfort food; call ahead for hours at (515) 981-9347.
Postal service in the Kossuth County community of Fenton dates to 1880, though the location moved west in 1899 to align with new railroad construction. The Fenton Post Office was located in a number of buildings in the business district prior to moving to its current location in 1970. The post office moved to the new space following the closing of the Fenton Drug Company, one of the community’s oldest businesses. The renovated building featured new post office boxes, letter drops, and office equipment.
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