Murfreesboro, TN post office
I wasn't able to get any information from any local clerks or police offices about where the invariable former post office might be, but the design of what was now the arts center screamed "old post office":
The cornerstone with "Secretary of the Treasury" confirmed this 1909 masterpiece as a P.O. I went inside and the folks allowed me to photograph. Here's the lobby:
When the post office moved out, the building became the town's main library. The children's reading room was in the basement, which I'm sure spooked them a bit. Now it's used as prop and other storage for the arts center. So ladies and gentlemen, something you've always wanted to see -- the basement of an old post office!
No one could figure out what the ladder leading to the basement from the Postmaster's office was for. Any ideas?
The 1913 former site of the Lebanon, Tennessee post office is now a county building:
The newer Lebanon post office is less glamorous.
They even have a carrier annex now:
Dickson, Tennessee has a 1936 facility that's no longer in use. (I'm not sure what its present purpose is, actually.)
Here's the more modern, early-'90s edition Dickson post office:
Pocahontas, Arkansas's old [1936] post office is now the local newspaper, the Star Herald:
Here's the interior:
The newer Pocahontas post office is more on the outskirts of town.
Until next time..!
Evan,
ReplyDeleteI"m enjoying your series on Old and New. I never thought to ask to photograph any other part of the building other than the lobby or entrances. Interesting that you photographed the basement in Murfreesboro. Thanks for sharing
David
postofficefreak
The ladder was used by the Post Office Inspector to move from his office in the basement to the working room floor. On the main level, there was another ladder to the "lookout", usually above the vault, allowing for an elevated view of the area. This feature is very prominent in the architecture of post offices built as part of The New Deal in the mid to late 1930s.
ReplyDeleteThe PO Inspector's presence was known to no one working that day and usually when there had been a complaint from the regional office about missing or damaged mail. In today's post offices, there are "listening holes" located in various parts of the ceiling for the inspector's observations, using the natural acoustics to hear every word.