Grayson County TXGenWeb

First Post Office
Denison, Texas

The Denison News
July 1873

The post office was moved into the new building erected especially for it on Skiddy street, in the 100 block. 225 lock boxes and 120 glass cases were provided. C.W. Nelson was postmaster and H.W. Tone deputy, assisted by Douglas A. Brown as clerk. In the front was Dr. G.A. Cutler's book store.

The Denison Herald
August 29, 1939

DENISON POST OFFICE OCCUPIED IN 1912
Denison - H. Tone operated Denison's first post office in his real estate establishment where he sold town lots in 1873, this at Skiddy street and Austin Avenue. Skiddy has been changed to Chestnut street. Later the post office was moved to Main and Burnett and again to 301 West Woodard. All these locations had been leased buildings. The plans and specifications for the new Post Office built in 1883 were prepared by architect Joe Schott.

The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, October 14, 1883
pg. 4

THE NEW POST OFFICE
What a Gazetteer Reporter Thinks of It.
Next Monday morning the post office will be moved into its new quarters, on the corner of Main street and Burnett avenue, in the new 2 story building recently erected by Mr. J.E. Streeper.
A representative of the Gazetteer was kindly escorted through the new office yesterday, by Mr. Daugherty, who gave him all the details of the internal arrangement provided for systematizing and expediting this important branch of Uncle Sam's business.
The dimensions of the room are 25x80 feet, well lighted by an open front and a side door, ceiling high and ventilation good. The walls in the front lobby are papered to the height of about 4 feet, surmounted by a rich border, the remainder being kalsomined a delicate sky blue. The effect is most pleasing.
There are 2 entrances in the front, and the lobby is large enough to afford ample room for the public at all times. There is also a side entrance more especially for the convenience of postal clerks, handling the mails and for those having business with the stamp departments, postal order and register clerk, etc. On entering at the side door you reach a small lobby, surrounded by a railing, set apart for the postal clerks, or route agents, 24 of whom now center at Denison. A wicker gate separates this lobby from the main office. A door to the right opens into the public lobby, the money order and stamp windows being on the right as you go in. At the back of the room is the mailing department, 13x15, surrounded by a railing, supplied with mailing case, slip case, mailing, table, package rack and desk, conveniently arranged for facilitating the business of the mailing clerks. This department is presided over by Mr. Fred Campbell, a proficient in every detail. There is another room 13x16, on the west side of the room, enclosed with wire cloth, to insure privacy from intruders, baffle the flies and mosquitoes, and at the same time allow a free circulation of air. This is the registered letter department, and here the clerk is required to sleep at night by order of the postal department. The room is furnished with a work table 10x3 feet, surrounded by a movable desk. Underneath is stowed away the clerk's bunk. Mr. Charles Redwood has charge of this important branch of the service - a very careful and efficient public servant. Convenient to this room is a brick vault, 9x14 feet, furnished with a cupboard 6x4 feet. This is for storing general stock, such as stamps, envelopes, stationery, records, etc.
The office boxes are arranged in a parallelogram, as customary. The space inside is 7x20 feet, giving ample room for the clerks. A table for distributing city papers is mounted on casters, so that it can be moved from one end to the other of this enclosure, the better to accommodate the clerk in the work of distribution. Underneath the lock boxes on both sides are closets 2 feet high, furnished with doors every 4 feet, giving 40 feet of closet room for storing office files, papers, etc.
There are, all told, 671 new lock boxes, manufactured by John McLane, Milford, New Hampshire, which are all provided with Sargeant & Greenlief patent locks, no 2 being opened by the same key. The fronts of these boxes are handsomely finished in black walnut, with glass windows. On the inside over each box is a brass slide, which received a strip of cardboard on which the name of the owner is written. This latter is a very neat contrivance, providing a ready method of changing the names.
The letter case, at the front of the office contains 200 boxes, lettered in the usual order. These boxes are 4 inches high, 6 inches deep, 2 and three-fourths inches wide. This case was manufactured by Bates & Louden, and is a fine sample of neat work. Beneath the case are the receptacles for letter and paper mail, provided with patent spouts, rendering it impossible to extract mail matter from the outside, and which were presented by Mr. Ph. Slutzky, the oldest jeweler in Denison. On the outside are 2 handsome silver plates, neatly engraved, also presented by Mr. Slutzky.
There are, in addition to the above, 100 boxes belonging to the general delivery department, for the accommodation of papers in wrappers. Theses boxes are 6 inches square by 12 deep, and on the opposite of the enclosure are 30 larger boxes for loose papers, alphabetically arranged. It is hardly necessary for us to introduce Billy Campbell as delivery clerk, as his smiling countenance has ornamented the window so long that it is familiar to all, and his even temper under the most trying circumstances has gained for him the reputation with the young ladies of being the best natured young man in town.
The lock boxes are divided by pilasters into sections of 200 each. To date 460 boxes have been rented. There is a 12 inch shelf running all around the room for the convenience of the distribution clerks. The money order and stamp windows are on the east side near the side entrance; here are 4 drawers underneath the shelf, provided with alarm locks; also convenient cabinets.
The enclosure of boxes extends about 7 feet above the floor, and from there to the ceiling is lattice work, which allows free circulation of air.
The outside finish is native pine and the cornice, which is very handsome, is native pine and imitation walnut, the whole oiled and varnished, presenting a most attractive appearance.
The carpenter work was done under contract by Messrs. Bates & Louden, and it certainly reflects great credit upon their taste and skill. A route agent remarked to us the other day it was the handsomest work of the kind in the state. The painting was done by Thomas & Sons, who are known as painstaking workmen. The lettering and numbering of the boxes, as well as the papering and kalsomiting, is the work of Mr. Charles Hotchkiss, who has no superior as an artistic wielder of the brush.
Mr. Charles Daugherty, our postmaster, certainly deserved the thanks of the community, for it is due to his exertions that the department ordered the new office in this city. He commenced working for this object immediately on taking possession of the office. The first thing necessary to do was to raise the grade of the office from first to second class. This he accomplished the first of last July, and in less than 3 months thereafter Denison has one of the handsomest and most convenient offices in the state. There are only 2 in fact that are equal to it, and they are in buildings erected by the government.
Mr. Streeper is also entitled to credit for being the lowest bidder when a suitable room was sought, as are the Messrs. Dr. Fields, Wm. Tibbs and John Haven, the financial committee who raised the funds for the purchase of the furniture and met the expense of fitting up, etc.
The plans and specifications of the office were prepared by the well known architect, Mr. Joe Schott, but the general arrangement as to details, is the result of Mr. Daugherty's experience and judgment.
Mr. Robinson, the hardware man, donated the file which hangs in the lobby for the accommodation of the letter list.