Postal service arrived at the Allamakee County town of New Albin in August 1872. Early postal history is detailed in The First 100 Years of New Albin book, noting mail was hauled to the community by train, with three daily deliveries. The post office occupied a number of buildings and storefronts before moving to its current location in 1967.
Postal service was first established in the Appanoose County town of Udell in November 1883. A post office operated for seven years before temporarily closing with mail re-routed to nearby Unionville. Service resumed in March 1893, more than a decade before the town was officially incorporated. Named for a local doctor Nathan Udell, the community’s population peaked in 1920 with 214 residents.
After nearly 120 years of continuous service, the post office closed its doors on September 23, 2011. Udell’s current population numbers 41.
Postal service was established in the Crawford County town of Ricketts on December 14, 1899, with William P. Mulheron named the first postmaster. The post office moved to its current location, an old bank building, in 1967. It is open six days each week.
A new post office opened in the Sioux County seat of Orange City on October 31, 1968. The building featured the latest equipment for heating and air conditioning, florescent lighting, a “modern” counter, and a box lobby that was open daily for 15 hours. The post office was officially dedicated on January 11, 1970, with a ceremony that featured a performance from the Maurice-Orange City Community School band, presentation of the Colors by local American Legion Post 329 and remarks from Stan Greigg, a U.S. Postal Service official based in Washington, D.C. Following the dedication program, a light lunch was served and a formal ribbon-cutting took place.
Postal service came to the Jasper County town of Mingo in December 1883. Mail volume in the growing community warranted two deliveries daily to the post office by 1910; that year, revenue from the office exceeded $800. In 2008, the post office moved to the former home of Mingo Trust and Savings Bank. The high rent associated with the upgraded facilities nearly led to an emergency closure of the Mingo Post Office. Town officials averted the closure by purchasing the old bank building and significantly reducing the monthly rent.