Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601
Posted by: 
PersonsMD
N 36° 18.785 W 082° 21.201
17S E 378506 N 4019524
Former main post office for Johnson City, Tennessee. No longer an active post office but now being used as a 911 dispatch office.
Located at 401 Ash Street. Johnson City, Tennessee
Waymark Code: WM587D
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 11/26/2008
Views: 7
Washington County, was the first county in the United States to receive rural free delivery of mail.
The Johnson City Post Office was the home for a "New Deal" Artwork mural that was painted by Wendell Jones from Woodstock NY. The Johnson City mural is now located over the entrance to the auditorium on the campus of East TN State University in Johnson City. It is entitled "Farmer Family". It was installed in the old Post Office on September 9, 1940. (Photo taken by Howard Hull - 2003)
First Post Office
The post office was at first “Blue Plum,” (What is now known as Johnson City, TN.) also away out in the country, on Sinking Creek, about two miles south of the present city. It was brought to the center of the village by Henry Johnson, founder of the town, and who built and presented to the railroad a depot, near what is now the Windsor Hotel annex. Mr. Johnson became the first postmaster using a
portion of his store as the post office. When the mail arrived, he would retire behind the screen, open the mail and call off the addresses of the letters presenting them to those of the waiting villagers in the store who answered “Here” to the call of their names.
It is said too, that some young lad of a jovial trend would slip into the “post office” at times when a crowd would be in the store and begin reciting names of those present in a voice imitating that of Mr. Johnson, the postmaster. But they usually only proceeded a short way with in jest, for the postmaster’s threat to “have the law on you” had the deadly effect of routing the jokers.
Johnson City Area Post Offices:
Blue Plum:
Postmaster - Effective Date
Henry Johnson July 7. 1849
John H. Bowman Sept. 27, 1855
Discontinued Dec. 16, 1859
Johnson's Depot:
Henry Johnson July 10, 1857
Name Changed to Hayneville Oct. 8, 1859
Name Changed from Hayneville April 9, 1861
Henry Johnson April 9, 1861
John Cameron April 13, 1866
Edmund Johnson Nov. 6, 1866
John Cameron Nov. 29, 1867
Henry Johnson Sep. 17, 1868
Changed to Johnson City March 9, 1870
Johnson City:
Name Changed from Johnson's Depot March 9, 1870
Henry Johnson March 9, 1870
Adam B. Bowman July 17, 1873
George W. Hickey March 1, 1875
William R. Rhea June 5, 1885
James M. Martin May 28, 1889
Cy H. Lyle Jan. 30, 1894
John C. Campbell Oct. 1, 1897
James A. Vines Apr. 4, 1910
Frank K. Mountcastle Apr. 10, 1914
Lula M. Devine Oct. 7, 1922
Samuel H. Chase Feb. 4, 1935
Jacob Matt Hunt Oct. 31, 1953
Clyde M. Guffney Mar. 21, 1955
Samuel R. Taylor Feb. 25, 1966
Fred R. Lockett, Jr. Oct. 7, 1966
Type of structure:: Stand Alone
Current Status:: Former Historic Location
re-enter Zip Code here:: Not listed
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