Northern Mich~Mash Preserve
~ POST OFFICES ~
(and Mail Routes)
The design and compilation of the text and photos on this site are copyrighted 2017.
Most posted items will enlarge by "clicking" on them.
Most posted items will enlarge by "clicking" on them.
Please do not copy the photos on this site, many of which have been submitted by private individuals...
just come back and visit the site often to view the photos.
just come back and visit the site often to view the photos.
Map Below: Galbraith, Frank H, and United States Railway Mail Service. Galbraith's
railway mail service maps, Michigan. Chicago, 1897. Map.
Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/98688500/>.
The Mail Service locations of both Emmet County and Charlevoix County are labeled on this 1897 map, although many of the locations existed before this 1897 timeframe.
railway mail service maps, Michigan. Chicago, 1897. Map.
Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/98688500/>.
The Mail Service locations of both Emmet County and Charlevoix County are labeled on this 1897 map, although many of the locations existed before this 1897 timeframe.
ALANSON:
1877 Hinman (later named Alanson) ~ Hollis Frayer was appointed the first postmaster
1879 Hinman (later named Alanson) ~ Henrietta M. Baxter was appointed the second postmaster
1879 Hinman (later named Alanson) ~ Artemus Baird was appointed third postmaster
1882 Hinman > Alanson 22 June 1882 ~ Sophronia A. Frayer was appointed fourth postmaster.
1885 Alanson ~ Frank M. Joslin was appointed fifth postmaster
1888 Alanson ~ John Culver was appointed sixth postmaster
1893 Alanson ~ Edward W. Cross
1915 Alanson ~ Richard T. O'Reilly
1931>2017 Alanson ~ Elizabeth J. "BJ" Leonall Fyke (Worked PO 18 years, retired as postmaster)
APPLETON: (FRIENDSHIP TOWNSHIP) 22 MAY 1884 ~ 15 AUGUST 1889 > Mail to Harbor Springs
AYR:
1878 Ayr ~ Patrick J. Burns was the first postmaster.
1884 Ayr ~ Titus Snyder
1885>1888 Ayr ~ John Higinbotham
1888>1890 Ayr ~ Henry Post
1891 Ayr ~ John Higinbotham
1891>1892 Ayr ~ Jacob Reichert
1892>1894 Ayr ~ Gideon Noel
1894>1908 Ayr ~ Patrick J. Burns
1908>1909 Ayr (Closed) ~ Marion and Minnie Brown
BARKER SIDING, named changed in 1903 to Lakewood: (One mile south of Levering)
1903 Lakewood ~ John R. Netland FIRST postmaster
1910 Lakewood office CLOSED
BAY VIEW:
Mail was handled in the Association's hotel, Bay View House. When it burned a US Post Office was established.
PRE-1937 Sara Irish was a postmistress in Bay View (Had been in Petoskey for 50 years previous to 1937)
1924 Bay View had a NEW post office building (See "Bay View web page" on this same web site.)
1910>1993 Bay View ~ Wilford John Shanley (Several years as Bay View postmaster)
Now [2018] Still active
BAY SHORE:
1892 Bay Shore ~ FIRST postmaster was Eugene R. Sly (opened 25 July 1925)
1950 Bay Shore ~ Ray Dickeroff died 19 January 1950
Bay Shore ~ A.G. Tillotson postmaster for 12 years
1964 Bay Shore ~ post office quit operating 30 September 1964
BLISS:
1878 Bliss ~ 20 December 1878 Charles S. Barton FIRST postmaster (for two years, probably in his cabin)
1881>1882 Wayne E. Morris
1883 Isaac Darling (in his store)
1893>1894 Edmund T. Cosens (in Mr. Darling's store)
1895>1896 O.E. Merwin
Henry C. Garber ?
1896>1922 Bliss (Closed) ~ Gideon Noel (previously postmaster in Ayr and Good Hart) Gideon Noel served as postmaster over 30 years... Died March 1925
Before 1941 Mr. and Mrs. O'Neal operated the Bliss store and post office. He died in 1941 and she died in 1959.
BOYNE CITY:
1869 North Boyne ~ John Miller appointed postmaster (Post Office Established in Mr. Miller's House in North Boyne)
1879 About , South Boyne ~ FIRST postmaster James Thompson's grocery became FIRST Post Office.
1925> 1957 (About) Emmet Green
1960 Jack Dickout
BOYNE FALLS:
1874 Boyne Falls ~ First postmaster Will Nelson
BRUTUS: FIRST post office in Emmet County NOT near Lake Michigan.
1874 ~ Post Office established
Brutus ~ Abner Lee was FIRST postmaster
1897 Brutus ~ Nelson Pier 16th postmaster
1933 > 1963 Brutus ~ Virgil Wallace
1963 ~ Brutus Don Brill 23rd postmaster
1967 ~ Doris (Temple) Lark; retired in 1990 after spending 35 years with the US POST OFFICE. (From 1954 to 1967 Doris Lark filled in at Oden, Conway, Alanson, Burt Lake, and Brutus POs... until becoming Postmaster in 1967 in Brutus.
Post Office building vacated in 2006... Brutus mail now comes from Alanson, but retains Brutus address
CANBY:
1884 Canby: Edwin Matthews Bliss ~ FIRST Postmaster established in his home 28 April 1884 in Bliss Township. Later, the post office was in the Gill village store, still at Canby Corners, but across the road in Center Township. Canby was named by Mrs. Matthews after Israel Canby, a state representative for the district. Charles Carpenter was one of the FIRST rural mail carriers delivering mail out of this Canby office. Although the post office closed in 1907, the village remained active for several more years. (For short times the post office was at the Charles Cook home west of Canby Corners, and at Ed Morgan's cabin.
CARPENTER: (BEAR CREEK TOWNSHIP) 23 November 1881 ~ 30 October 1897
CARP LAKE:
1895 Combined to one word ~ Carplake
1905 Restored to two words ~ Carp Lake
1914 Carp Lake ~ Richard G. Hayes (Postmaster there for 32 years before retiring in 1946)
1883 Carp Lake ~ John D. Rawdon -On once a week overland mail route #24419 from Harbor Springs to Mackinaw City
CECIL: (WAWATAM TOWNSHIP) 31 January 1901 ~ 14 December 1918
1901 Cecil ~ Palmer V. Clark FIRST postmaster
CHANDLER TOWNSHIP:
"Chandler Township Post Office and Rural Delivery"
CONWAY:(LITTLE TRAVERSE TOWNSHIP)
Another source stated FIRST Conway postmaster was Mr. Wines...
1882 Conway ~ Horace C. Miller
1885 Conway ~ Andrew Caldwell was appointed second postmaster
1889 Conway ~ Almira OR Amarala Blackmer Rose was appointed third postmaster (needs confirmation)
1895 Conway ~ Thomas F. Austin
1896 Conway ~ Edgar J. Phillips was fifth postmaster
1901 Conway ~ John N. McClure was appointed sixth postmaster (30 January 1901)
1901 Conway ~ John Wesley Van Every (1 July 1901)
1905 Conway ~ John Finerty or Finety
1910 Conway ~ Elsie J. McFarlane OR Forshee was appointed ninth postmaster
1920 Conway ~ Maude A. (Clough) Morrison was 11th postmaster
1934 Conway ~ Georgia Hood (Hastings) Hufford was 12th postmaster (for 14 years)
1947 Conway ~ Erla Blanche (Brown) Grigsby
1996 Conway ~ Mrs. Doris E. (Curtindale) Brady
CROSS VILLAGE: (CROSS VILLAGE TOWNSHIP)
1869 Cross Village ~ a post office was established with Amos T. Burnett FIRST postmaster on 31 October 1870
1870 Cross Village ~ Amos T. Burnett
1873 Cross Village ~ Mary B. Shurtleff
1889 Cross Village ~ Amos T. Burnett
1893 Cross Village ~ William M. Shurtleff
1897 Cross Village ~ Arthur Swarthout
1901 Cross Village ~ Sarah KIng
1919 Cross Village ~ Gilbert Lowe
1920 Cross Village ~ Albert Dove
1926 Cross Village ~ William Foss, Jr.
1927 Cross Village ~ Eunice Shurtleff
1939 Cross Village ~ Samuel Kimball
1945 Cross Village ~ Clara Sullivan
1946 Cross Village ~ Walter Lasota (died in office 16 May 1952)
1953 Cross Village ~ Henry Cetus (March 1953)
1953 Cross Village ~ Walter Harbus (November 1953)
1955 Cross Village ~ Henry J. Cetus
1956 Cross Village ~ Louis J. Jessick
Ely (CENTER TOWNSHIP) Romig's Michigan Place Names page 183: "This village [Ely] in Center Township was settled in 1875 and named for state representative Herman D. Ely on 2 January 1879 [?], the offices operating until 31 May 1908"
1879 Ely ~ Charles Cook FIRST postmaster
1908 Ely ~ Post Office Closed
EPSILON: (SPRINGVALE TOWNSHIP) 5 October 1882 ~ 31 May 1914, then to Conway
Star Mail Route from Petoskey to Epsilon with Mr. Wormell of Wildwood (Undated) Click HERE for Photo.
GOOD HART: (READMOND TOWNSHIP) Good Hart Post Office was first noted with spelling Good Heart... an error?
1874 Combined to one word Goodhart
1909 Restored as two words Good Hart
Silas W.McNeil became the FIRST postmaster
Gideon Noel
HARBOR POINT (WEST TRAVERSE TOWNSHIP)
1917
HARBOR SPRINGS (WEST TRAVERSE TOWNSHIP):
1861 ~ 1877 LITTLE TRAVERSE Harbor Spring ~ Indian Chief Andrew J. Blackbird
PRE- 1885 ~ Mr. Wright
1885 ~ Dr. Carlos D. Hampton
1936 > 1949 Harbor Springs ~ Frank Friend
1949 Harbor Springs ~ Douglas J. Hill (Retired in 1977)
Harbor Springs ~ Roy Aler
Harbor Springs ~ W.E. "Monty" Wright (Died in 1968)
HUGHART (PLEASANTVIEW TOWNSHIP)
24 January 1881 ~ 16 January 1882 > mail to Harbor Springs
JOY (CHARLEVOIX COUNTY):
1884 > 1895
JOY (EMMET COUNTY):
1895 > 1899
LAKEGROVE: (RESORT TOWNSHIP)
1896 >1897 > Petoskey
LAKEWOOD (MCKINLEY TOWNSHIP):
1903 > 1910
LARKS (CENTER TOWNSHIP):
1900 > 1908 > Pellston
LARKTON:
1888 > 1890
1888 Center known as Larkton ~ B.C. Lark
LARK'S LAKE:
1905: Post Office CLOSED
LEVERTON > LEVERING (MCKINLEY TOWNSHIP):
1883 Leverington ~ James Heany FIRST postmaster 15 February 1883
1885 Leverington shortened name to Levering
1887 Levering ~ A.M. LeBaron (or LaBaron)
1889 Levering ~ M.C. Crandell (followed by E.E. Cross)
1891 Levering ~ W.C. McComb (followed by J.J. Walker, R.W. Cooper, Edna Sargent, William Coffin, and
E.J. Carpenter, Juanita Coffin)
1941 Levering ~ Charles I. Cook
1957 Levering ~ Ivan Cook
1988 Levering ~ Kathleen Gay
2019 Levering ~ Stacy A. Schramm
LITTLEFIELD (SPRINGVALE TOWNSHIP):
1878 > 1909 > Epsilon Mr. J. E. Gray
LONSDALE:
1881 > 1883 > Harbor Springs
MACKINAW CITY:
1871 Mackinaw City ~ Louis J. Willets was FIRST postmaster
1927 Mackinaw City ~ O.F. Gowans
MAPLEWOOD (RESORT TOWNSHIP):
1878 > 1880 > Petoskey
1880 near the Maplewood school house ~ L.D. French
1880 16 September 1880 Maplewood Postoffice was discontinued
MOSSVILLE:
1876 > 1878
ODEN: (LITTLEFIELD TOWNSHIP)
1892 Oden ~ Joseph W. Luce was appointed first postmaster
1893 Oden ~ Lile D. Perry was appointed second postmaster
1906 Oden ~ Merton C. Ball
1913 Oden ~ Elsie Forshee (Oden's 10th postmaster)
1921 Oden ~ Aylmer H. Pope, Jr. was appointed fourth postmaster
1925 Oden ~ Dewey Edwin Pope
1935 Oden ~ Milburn O. "Cap" Davis served until retiring 30 December 1966
1968 Oden ~ George P. Woodruff
PELLSTON: (MCKINLEY TOWNSHIP)
1882 Pellston ~ Henry Park
1883 Pellston ~ John Wachtel (Wachtel's obituary stated he was postmaster in Pellston for 25 years)
1889 Pellston ~ Albert E. Van Every
1893 Pellston ~ John Wachtel (Wachtel's obituary stated he was postmaster in Pellston for 25 years)
1897 Pellston ~ A.C. Wright postmaster for 12 years. The morning of his 1910 death he received his commission for the next term of four years.
1914 Pellston ~ Edward Matthews
1922 Pellston ~ Angus G. Grayson
1928 Pellston ~ Nettie C. Grayson
1935 Pellston ~ Charles P. Murray (1935 Acting 1937 Commissioned)
1942 Pellston ~ Paul Grobaski (Still in 1960)
1965 Pellston ~ Sidney D. Reinbold
1984 Pellston ~ Lucille Johnson
PETOSKEY:
1857 First designated as "BEAR CREEK" on the Porter Mission Farm aka "Porter's Village" so Andrew Porter may also claim title to FIRST Petoskey Postmaster along with Dr. Little.
1874 Petoskey ~ Dr. William Little [A petition was circulated to remove the post office from the mission. The name changed to Petoskey City, and the office was kept in Dr. Little's Rose House on Lake Street.
1874 Petoskey ~ Mrs. Annie Little was appointed FIRST Petoskey postmistress (Dr. Little's widow married Mr. Kirkland)
1880 Petoskey ~ Ralph Connable (Obituary stated post master for two years)
1894 Petoskey ~ Phillip P. Wachtel (president of the Petoskey City Bank)
1903, 1910 Petoskey ~ James Buckley
1911 Petoskey ~ C.J. Pailthorp, attorney
1911>1956 Petoskey ~ Roscoe Adam PItman
1935 Petoskey ~ George W. McCabe
Petoskey ~ Chalmers Curtis (served for six and a half months)
1935>1946 Petoskey ~ Robert Daniel Tripp (b. 1875 - d. 1954)
1946 Petoskey ~ Ralph Dean
Petoskey ~ Roscoe Adam Pitman (b. 1911 - d. 1956)
Petoskey ~ George Malloy (postmaster until he died 2 July 1961)
Petoskey ~ C. John Wooden (2 February 1962 acting postmaster until 17 June 1963)
Petoskey ~ Thomas Wilhelm (18th person to serve as postmaster since PO opened by William Little in 1874)17 June 1963 >)
~ Dave Kiss (In 1989 Postmaster Kiss was involved in the special sale of the Hemingway Commemorative Stamps.
Click HERE to access a the Walloon Lake Wanderings web site to tell of this event.
1953>1954 Petoskey ~ Alexander W. Worden "Dub"
1960 Petoskey ~ George Malloy
1997 Petoskey ~ Kurt Betker
PLEASANTVIEW (PLEASANTVIEW TOWNSHIP):
PLEASANT VIEW 1878 > 1899
Combined to one word PLEASANTVIEW 1899 > 1907
READMOND (READMOND TOWNSHIP):
1886 > 1908 > Cross Village
STURGEON BAY (BLISS TOWNSHIP): Mail came by GR&I RR into Levering where Charles Carpenter then delivered the mail to Sturgeon Bay post office.
STURGEONBAY 1897>1905 Mr. Albert B. Klise
STURGEON BAY 1908 >1912 > LEVERING Edward Ringler became postmaster 28 March 1908 until the post office closed December 1912
Sturgeon Bay did not become part of the rural mail route when R.F.D. first came into being.
UNDINE: 1880 established in Hayes Township Charlevoix County with Charles H. Whitford as postmaster
VAN: (FIRST post office 15 March 1898 was under the name of Egleston, same name as the township)
1898 March ~ Egleston ~ Albert Van Every FIRST postmaster
1898 October ~ Van (Egleston name changed to Van for the Van Every Brothers)
1933 ~ Van CLOSED 14 January 1933 > Levering
WAB ME MEE:
1899 > 1901 (Never in operation) Charles B. Field was proposed postmaster.
WALLOON LAKE:
Walloon Lake Postmasters found at Walloon Lake Wanderings website.
WEQUETONSING: (LITTLE TRAVERSE TOWNSHIP) At first spelled We-que-ton-Sing
1886 Wequetonsing ~ Josiah R. Laforce FIRST postmaster
1886 Post Office CLOSED, later reopened with Mr. Laforce again the postmaster on 27 May 1887
1887 Wequetonsing ~ Josiah R. Laforce again
1905 Wequetonsing ~ Harriet L. Judd
1957 Wequetonsing CLOSED again on 6 June 1957
RAILWAY POST OFFICES:
The Mackinaw and Richmond cancel was used on the route between Mackinaw City and Richmond, Indiana as noted in the five photos below.
America's FIRST Mail Car
1862
1862
Clipping Below: Alexander Worden began working for the US Post Office in 1912 as a "Railway Mail Clerk" as explained in the "Railway Post Office" items above. In 1915 Mr. Worden went on the Grand Rapids-Mackinaw City run of the GR&I which later was the Pennsylvania RR.
One of the oldest buildings in the city, an historical landmark that housed the ORIGINAL post office (Bear River/Petoskey), was razed to make room for new construction.
1861-1867
Chief Blackbird was the FIRST postmaster of Little Traverse (Harbor Springs).
He used the letter hutch pictured in the clipping below.
Chief Blackbird was the FIRST postmaster of Little Traverse (Harbor Springs).
He used the letter hutch pictured in the clipping below.
1877 Article Below: Harbor Springs FIRST postmaster A.J. Blackbird expressed
concerns regarding the hours of post office service.
concerns regarding the hours of post office service.
1869
A 1956 Centennial edition of "Boyne City 1856-1956 An Early History" told of the (North Boyne) development of Spring Harbor/Bay Springs: "The borders of settled civilization were no longer so remote. In 1869 "Uncle John's" (Miller) home became the post office and he its postmaster. As postmaster he got to see the neighboring settlers. The mail was brought from Traverse City to Petoskey by way of Central Lake and the South Arm of Pine Lake. The carriers mostly Indians who usually traveled on foot. One of the earliest of the faithful carriers was Mitchell LaCroix who later lived at Advance."
Mail Carried by Stage
Mr. George Burns' first business venture was operating a livery barn. He furnished horses to the government for the FIRST survey work done in this [Charlevoix County] district and operated a stage carrying mail, freight and passengers between Petoskey and Traverse City. Mr. and Mrs. Burns took homesteads near Barnard [Charlevoix County] in 1866 when the territory which is now Charlevoix County was then a part of Emmet County. Mr. Burns was born in Montreal, Canada, when his parents stopped after coming to America from Ireland. They continued their journey by ox team, crossing by boat from Sarnia to Detroit and thence to Barnard, then a small settlement on the trail between Petoskey and Traverse City. Mr. Burns' father had the post office serving the district surrounding the present city of Charlevoix in his home. It was then when George was a young man that he carried the mail between Traverse City and Petoskey on horseback in the summer and on snow shoes when the snow became too deep for a horse to travel in the winter.
Article Right: tells about Mr. and Mrs. George Burns, and his involvement over the years with the postal service. |
The 10 July 1952 Petoskey Centennial newspaper reported: "The development of the FIRST postoffice [Petoskey] dates from January 1874, when it was transferred from the mission farm, being known then as the Bear Creek postoffice. The office was shifted to a drug store operated by Dr. Little, who was appointed postmaster. A cigar box was made the repository of the accumulated mail, much, of which was in the form of birch bark. Much of the mail was brought overland by Indian carriers and government stages, the salary of the postmaster at this early date was on a commission basis and during the first year amounted to only seventeen dollars. In 1877 a money order department was added to the postoffice."
Photo Below: Ralph Connable was the Petoskey Postmaster in 1880. The building became Miss KIlborn's Bookstore. He used bark to trim the post office. Connable built the "Bark Cottage" in Bay View and the rustic pagoda in the park.
Article Below: FIRST Mail to Canby...
Photo Below: U.S. Mail ship at the Petoskey waterfront dock (Undated)
with the Pere Marquette Rail Road engine also at the waterfront depot area
with the Pere Marquette Rail Road engine also at the waterfront depot area
Ely (CENTER TOWNSHIP) settled in 1876
20 July 1887 The Petoskey Resorter announced Bay View Post Office Improvements...
17 June 1881 "New post-office established on the corner of Lake and Howard streets [Petoskey, Michigan].
The 30 June 1938 Northern Michigan Review reported: "And now the history of Petoskey begins [after 1 January 1874]. Soon after the hotel [Dr. Little's 'Rose House'] was completed, the post office at Bear Creek was discontinued, and the mail carried across the river in a cigar box and turned over to Dr. Little, who had just received his commission as the post master of the new post office 'Petoskey'."
1911 Article Below: Mail was not brought to Petoskey by airship, but was carried from aerial postoffice on the aviation field at St. Louis to the postal headquarter, from where it was taken by train to Petoskey... a FIRST.
|
A map of Michigan titled "Galbraith's Railway Service Maps, Michigan" can be accessed...
through the Library of Congress (created/published Chicago, 1897, c1898)
showing early post offices with their locations in each of the state's counties.
~ 1905 to 1915 located 421 East Mitchell Street, Petoskey, Michigan ~
(1938 to present 2017... Meyer Ace Hardware minus the upper floors)
Photo Below: Inside the Old Post Office located where Meyer Hardware is located in 2020
on Mitchell Street, in the building in the photo above.
1912
on Mitchell Street, in the building in the photo above.
1912
Petoskey Post Offices had begun with Mr. Porter at the old Mission Farm, and then transferred to Dr. Little's home. On 5 December 1873 the official name of the post office was changed from Bear River to Petoskey. Later, the post office was included where the downtown Meyer Hardware is located in 2020. By 1913 the new post office on the corner of Petoskey and East Mitchell streets was built in a classic federal style appearance. That main street post office was torn down in 1961, when the building moved to the corner of Howard and State streets where it remains in 2020.
The Petoskey Post Office at the corner of Petoskey and East Mitchell streets
was built during WWI and opened in 1918.
was built during WWI and opened in 1918.
Photo Below: Close-up over the Petoskey Post Office Entry Doorway
~ Pellston Postmaster Appointment ~
1914
1914
~ Mail and Freight Across the Ice Between Petoskey and Harbor Springs ~
1923
1923
TOP
~ Levering Post Office ~
One of the FIRST buildings in Levering was the 'beehive', so called because of the variety of busy activities that it housed until it was demolished about 1940. It was about 25X50 feet in size and constructed of logs about 1880-1881 during the period that the east-west highway was being put through... The FIRST use of the beehive was as a barn and boarding house for the road construction crews. It also housed the first post office. Within 3-4 years part of the beehive became Levering's FIRST school with Mrs. George Carlton (the former Mary Hoar) as the teacher.
Photo Above was labeled: "Robinson Street may look deserted, the buildings a bit ravaged by time, but the business continues for a hardware, antique store and the post office."
~ Conway, Michigan, Post Office ~
Photo Below: Conway Mail Wagon
~ Airmail Week Observed with Special Cachets ~
1938
1938
~ Pellston Airport to Provide Airmail Service for Region Within Close Radius ~
1941
1942
1948
~ Harbor Springs Roy Aler Sorting Mail for 40 Years ~
1952
~ Postmaster Alexander Worden Changed Presidential Portraits in Petoskey Post Office ~
1953
~ New Mail Truck for Petoskey to Cadillac Route ~
1955
1955
~ Postmaster Roscoe Pitman Dies in Washington D.C. ~
1956
1956
~ New Postal Rates ~
1958
1958
~ New Petoskey Postage Meter ~
1959
1959
~ The OLD Petoskey Post Office on Mitchell Street ~
~ 1917 ~
Photo Below: The Petoskey Post Office was located on the corner of Petoskey and East Mitchell streets.
~ Petoskey Post Office... New Flag Pole ~
1957 > 1962
1961
Article Below: The "board" was that of the Chamber of Commerce
which was urging the sale of the 1961 post office.
which was urging the sale of the 1961 post office.
1962
Two Clippings Below: Imagine had the Petoskey City Council listened to the request of Art Teacher Lous Rizzolo and Mr. Dave Troutman, and have preserved the old Mitchell Street post office majestic edifice. While the location for a post office may have been inadequate, the use of the location for a cultural center would have been sufficient.
By 1967 the OLD post office building on the corner of Petoskey and East Mitchell streets was being razed
and the NEW post office on the corner of Howard and State streets was up and running.
and the NEW post office on the corner of Howard and State streets was up and running.
CLICK PLAY to view the Razing of the OLD Post Office slideshow below.
The photos are from the Greenwood Photo Archive Collection from Petoskey Newspapers (1967)
The photos are from the Greenwood Photo Archive Collection from Petoskey Newspapers (1967)
1968
Photo Below: The text below this photo explains where the rubble
from the razed OLD Mitchell Street, Petoskey, Michigan, post office was deposited...
from the razed OLD Mitchell Street, Petoskey, Michigan, post office was deposited...
View farther below on this same web page for photos
of the site preparation and construction
of the NEW Corner of Howard and State Streets, Petoskey Post Office in 1961.
of the site preparation and construction
of the NEW Corner of Howard and State Streets, Petoskey Post Office in 1961.
September 1967 Photo Below: The riprap from the razing of the OLD Petoskey Post Office on Mitchell
appears to still be visible on the bank of the Bear River similar to the news photo shown above.
appears to still be visible on the bank of the Bear River similar to the news photo shown above.
~ Local Area Postcards Played Important Part for the Post Office ~
1963
1963
~ Blackbird Letters' Inspired Tom Graham in Stamp Collecting ~
TOP
~ Harbor Springs Post Office ~
1885
1949
Douglas Hill Becomes Harbor Springs Postmaster after Frank Friend
Douglas Hill Becomes Harbor Springs Postmaster after Frank Friend
1957
New Levering Post Office to Open
New Levering Post Office to Open
1958
From 1908 to 1958 the Harbor Springs Post Office location was rented from the Harbor Springs Public Library which used the second floor of its building on Main Street.
~ Dedication of the New Harbor Springs Post Office ~
1958
1958
Boyne City Postmaster Emmet Green Retires
1957
1957
C&O Rail-Van on Test Run Here
1959
The OLD Petoskey Post Office which had been located at 300-310 East Mitchell Street was torn down in 1961. It had been a beautiful structure, but the property did not allow for the positioning of mail trucks. The Petoskey Post Office moved to the present (2018) location on the corner of Howard and State Streets as shown in the Header Photo on this very web page. In 1969 the vacant property of the OLD post office became the location of the State Bank and Trust (1969) > Old Kent Bank (1893) > Fifth/Third Bank (2001). The Photo Farther Below explains what happened with some of the rubble from the OLD post office demolition.
1961
Photo Below: This 1936 aerial photo shows the site of the present 2019 Petoskey Post Office located at the corner of Howard and State streets. Houses and buildings which needed to be razed to make room for the post office are visible in the 1936 photo to be compared to the 1961 photos shown next below this photo.
Photo Below: This building rested on the corner of Howard and State streets at one time where the post office rests in 2022. The same house showing on the far right of the below photo can be viewed in the next 1961 photo below left.
Photos Below: Taken during the process of razing the buildings and preparing the site
for the new post office on the corner of Howard and State streets in November 1961.
for the new post office on the corner of Howard and State streets in November 1961.
1962
1960
1929 AND 1961
OLD AND NEW
Alanson Post Offices
OLD AND NEW
Alanson Post Offices
1968
1968
1968
Pellston Post Office leases lower level...
Pellston Post Office leases lower level...
1974
1977
Obituary Below: Oden Postmaster Dewey L. Pope died in 1978 at 80 years old.
1982
Oden Post Office 100th Year
Oden Post Office 100th Year
~Rescued from the Oden Post Office ~
1982
Alanson Postal Clerk Hazel McPhee Retiring
Alanson Postal Clerk Hazel McPhee Retiring
1984
Pellston Postmaster Dis Reinbold Retiring
Pellston Postmaster Dis Reinbold Retiring
1988
Levering Post Office
5912 Robinson Street, Levering, Michigan
Levering Post Office
5912 Robinson Street, Levering, Michigan
Photo Below: Post Office at 300 East Mitchell Street hidden behind the snow bank...
The Post Office at this location was torn down in 1961.
(2017 location of Firth Third Bank)
Petoskey Post Office moved from 300 East Mitchell Street to the
southwest corner of Howard and State streets.
The Post Office at this location was torn down in 1961.
(2017 location of Firth Third Bank)
Petoskey Post Office moved from 300 East Mitchell Street to the
southwest corner of Howard and State streets.
~ NEW Postage Stamps ~
Rural Free Delivery began in the late 19th century. In 1913 Parcel Post Delivery was introduced to allow the distribution of national newspapers and magazines, which was an economic boon to the country with mail orders from rural areas. Access the Chandler Township Michigan Memories website's "Post Office and Rural Delivery" webpage for a brief history of postal service in the area.
~ Real Rural Route/Rout ~
2014
~ Brutus Post Office ~
~ Cross Village Post Office ~
Article Below: From the 1881 Cross Village News...
Article Below: From the 1881 Cross Village News...
~ Beaver Island ~
1930 and 1937
1930 and 1937
Photo Below: Cross Village Post Office ~ 9 June 1954
The article below may have an incorrect Cross Village post office date of 1896...
as 1869 has also been reported for Cross Village having had a post office...
1986
Cross Village Post Office Opened in 1870
Cross Village Post Office Opened in 1870
Raymond Kalbfleisch reported in the September 3-9, 1986 Harbor Light newspaper: "The Cross Village Post Office has now (1986) served the people of the village for 116 years. At the present time it is a third class office, and has no village or rural delivery routes. Residents are served directly from the post office... During the winter season [in the past] freight came by team and sleigh over the ice along the shore between Harbor Springs and Cross Village. The trek of the almost unnoticed mail carrier over the ice-bridge between the village and St. James was perilous but routine and not a single carrier was ever lost. However, whenever fishermen became stranded on drifting ice floes, great excitement prevailed until they were rescued or presumed dead. Sometimes a huge bonfire was kept burning on the bluff all night while rescue operations were underway or until all hope of the men being found was gone."
Previous to the Cross Village post office opening in 1870, it was necessary to make the arduous journey to Mackinac Island for mail.
Previous to the Cross Village post office opening in 1870, it was necessary to make the arduous journey to Mackinac Island for mail.
Photo Below: Cross Village Post Office, 6340 North Lake Shore Drive, Cross Village, Michigan
Two Photos Below: Good Hart Post Office is located within the Good Hart General Store,
Good Hart, Michigan
Good Hart, Michigan
Two Photos Above: Alex Childress' additional work also may be viewed at Alex Childress Photo.
The 8 April 2022 Petoskey News Review reported: "The Postal Service announced it plans to raise rates effective July 10. Under the proposal submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission, the cost of a first-class Forever stamp would increase by 2 cents to 60 cents. The Postal Service said the increase, which is less than the annual rate of inflation, will help the agency implement Postmast General Louis DeJoy's 10-year plan to stabilize agency finances. The Postal Service Reform Act lifts budget rules that have contributed to the agency's red ink."