Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/505

 HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY

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��was in operation. Even yet, old settlers look back to the stage-eoaeh days with a sigh of re- gret that the}' are gone, never to return. The stage routes then were from Cleveland and Sandusky to Mansfield, Mount Vernon and Col- uml)us. From the east, the stage came from Pittsburgh, and for a long time the western terminus was at Mansfield, but after a time, the route was extended to Bucyrus. Hiram K. Smith, still living, was a post-office clerk under Mr. McFall. He was only a lad at that time, and relates that the Postmaster at one time sent him to Columl^us. on horseback, with a pair of saddle-bags full of silver, to be deposited in the old Franklin Bank there, to the credit of the Post Office Department, at Washington. He was a little over two days in making the jour- ney, as the roads were very bad, and it was all the way through the woods, with only here and there a cabin. Following McFali, came Uriah Jamison, as Postmaster, July 26, 1838, and the location of the office was changed to a frame house, which occupied the present site of Johnston's drug store — first door north of the Wiler House. Jamison was succeeded by Jacob Hammer, in 1841, moving the office to a small building on the present site of H. R. Smith's Opera House. Barney McCarron was the next Postmaster after Hammer ; was appointed No- vember 11, 1845, and removed the office to the North American corner, where he kept it a short time and then transferred it to the building where Rigbe3''s shoe store is now located. From there, it went across the street, into one of those old buildings that was recently pulled down to make room for the Iniilding of the Swigart. Jenner & Scattergood Block, and Jacob Ham- mer kept it. Hammer received his second ap- pointment April 27, 1849. Jacob Reisinger followed Hammer, June 16, 1853, and kept the office in Dickson's Block. Samuel Snyder suc- ceeded Reisinger, November 18, 1859, and kept the office in the same place. Greorge H. Kling was the next Postmaster, receiving his appoint-

��ment March 28, 1861, and it was during his ad- ministration that the office was removed to its present location. This block was erected in 1863, and the office has not been moved since that time. Henry P. Davis was Kling's suc- cessor, and was appointed Postmaster by Aljra- ham Lincoln Sept. 28, 1864, and held the office nine 3ears. He was followed Ijy the present efficient officer, Thos.P:.Douglas,March 12. 1873. The business of the post office, at the pres- ent time, largeh' exceeds the popujar idea of it. It has grown to be a kind of banking insti- tution of no inconsideral:)le proportions, and will, no doubt, increase in popularity from year to year, as a medium through which the Gov- ernment may reach the people. It was tlu'ough the post office that Secretar}' Sherman was en- abled to place a large portion of the 4 per cent loans, with little expense to the Government and great convenience to the people ; $15,000 of these bonds were sold here. Postmaster Douglas furnishes the following, relating to the business of the office during the year 1879 : Gross receipts, $20,625.70 — this being for stamps and box rent ; total number of money- orders issued from this office. 41,965 ; the numljer issued during the 3'ear 1879 were 4,618. for which $51,253.62 was paid by the people : and during the same time the post office has paid out $62,352.67, on monev-orders : num1>er of letters registered during the year, 835 ; an average of 2,000 letters (exclusive of drops) are daily mailed at the office, and. during the year over two hundred thousand circulars were mailed at the office ; number of postal cards sold dur- ing the 3'ear, 147.837, and about the same num- ber mailed at the office for the same time. In addition to this, the sale of stamped envelopes is large and continually increasing, the numlier sold in 1879 being 91.000. The business of the post office is looked upon as an index of the devel- opment, civilization and intelligence of a com- munit}'. This is certainly an encouraging ex- hibit.

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