Osawatomie, Kansas 66064 - U.S. Post Offices on Waymarking.com

This one-story, brown brick building is located at 404 5th Street. The building is a typical small town Post office from the late 50's or early 60's with an entrance of a single glass and metal door flanked by glass panes and a glass transom on the southern portion of the east facade. There is a block glass window six-over-six located on the northern portion of the eastern facade.

Charlie Brand wins the cigar! He called to tell me that the building at 569 Main used to be the local post office. Armed with that information, I went hunting and found that the Osawatomie Post Office was a peripatetic little venture in the years before 1900, moving at least six times since it was established in 1855.

It started out on Geer Street, now Fourth, in a building owned by the first postmaster, Samuel Geer. Then, 20-year postmaster Alonzo Gove moved it to the Cottage Hotel. It settled for a few years at 568 Main, then went to the McClay building before transferring to a site at the Dever House. Finally, in 1900, it moved again to 569 Main, where it remained for 59 years.

In 1959, the post office moved to its present location at Fifth and Parker. Interestingly, all the old postal equipment was left for disposal by authorities from Wichita. The new building was advertised as one of the few offices among the 37,000 in this country to be air-conditioned. Wouldn’t you know, that AC failed during opening week.

Alden O. Weber, one of the founders of the Osawatomie Historical Society, president of the American State Bank, and son of one of the town’s more activist mayors, researched the building’s history for the dedication of the new post office. According to Mr. Weber, the first mails were brought into Osawatomie by horseback or stagecoach from the City of Kansas (now Kansas City) and, when the rivers flooded, across the Marais des Cygnes by boat.

We know from accounts of the second Battle of Osawatomie in August 1856, that the Rev. Samuel L. Adair sat up all night writing letters to be taken to Lawrence by Frederick Brown, Adair’s nephew and John Brown’s son. Frederick was killed by invading Missourians the next morning before his intended trip.

Weber surmised that “why letters were taken out of Osawatomie in this fashion is not known, but it is possible that better connections could be made through Lawrence, which was a hub of free-state activity in constant touch with free-staters in the East.” He added that “probably this route was taken because of disruption of mail services on the regular route, the attack on Osawatomie being imminent.”

The first rural route out of Osawatomie was established in 1899, and city delivery of mail began April 1, 1920. Rural patrons picked up their mail at the Main Street location until Rural Free Delivery was established here. In fact, those residents who recall that old building always start by saying, “It was so small and had all those boxes up in front.”

Much of that changed when the present building opened.

Several issues arose when I was researching this story. The first is the fact that, until the later 1950s and early ’60s, few merchants advertised their location. Their newspaper ads would mention their product or service and that was all. Eventually, ads would give directions from existing landmarks. Even early telephone directories did not list business addresses. Thus, it was difficult to pinpoint references such as the McClay building and the Dever House.

The second was an eye-opener. I have been one of those incorrectly referring to Anna January, one of Osawatomie’s most influential citizens, as the “city’s first woman postmistress.” She wasn’t. Anna served in that position from 1922-1932, but she had two female predecessors.

The first, Frances Maynard, held the title from 1881-1885. Then, when C.C. Clevenger died in 1911 while in office, his wife, Mrs. Clevenger, served until 1913 as acting postmistress. Sorry, Anna, but, after all, the small park on South Street was still named for you, first or not.

- Miami County Republic August 5, 2015

Type of structure:: stand alone re-enter Zip Code here:: 66064 Current Status:: Still in Use

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