The Post Office in Howard

[admin]

This is the Post Office in Howard around 1908. It was located where Batsons is today.
The First National Bank purchased this corner 2-story stone building from W.M. Crooks, Oct.1, 1884 and sold it to J.F. Darby July 14, 1891. There was a store in this building until about 1896 when it was occupied as the Post Office until 1962 when it was moved the current location.

My thanks to Carolyn, our new postmaster, for this information.

[Teresa]

I am looking at this really close.. and is that like, sidewalks crossing the intersections?
I am assuming that maybe it is dirt and mud roads, so they had sidewalks put across the streets to walk on?!?

Just some facts...

Howard Post Office was established Feb 14, 1870, at a point about 2 1/2 miles north of where our town is now.
The townsite of Howard established in 1870 and the post office moved in 1871.
Elk County was established Feb 26, 1875.... and  Howard was made county seat.

[Jo McDonald]

Fred and I were married May 16, 1947, and moved to Howard the first of September that year.  At that time the Post Office was located where the picture shows.    I worked at the drugstore located where Pack Pro just moved from.  Mr. Earl Allen and his wife Alice owned the Rexall drug store at that time.  Earl was Pat Allen's uncle.  If you want to know about Howard Main Street in that era--talk to Pat..she was raised on mainstreet as her parents owned the cafe across the street from the drug store.  I thought her Mother, Sue, was one of the neatest ladies ever. 
I worked with Rose Mary Wunderlick ( Grace Wisemans's sister) and Zane Shipman--both now deceased. 
That was a neat P.O. and across the street south was the Howard National  Bank with steps leading up to it just as there was to the Post Office.  Howard Main Street was a PRETTY street in those years!!
  Thank you for that picture -- it brought back wonderful memories.

[Janet Harrington]

Well, Ms. T, your eyes are correct.  Those are sidewalks at the intersections.  Don't want those lovely ladies to get their gowns dirty while doing their shopping in our town.

[usetube]

The First National Bank was on the corner south of the post Office.
The howard National Bank Was at the north end of the street on the East side of the street.

[Carl Harrod]

I had to look at the picture and the dates again because I thought that I remembered going to that Post Office before Batson's was built on that corner.
I was in the First grade with Hazel Moore as my teacher and she used to give me five cents to walk up to the Post Office and mail a letter for her after school.

[Jo McDonald]

I stand corrected on the bank on the south side of Randolph and Wabash -- I thought of my mistake after I had gone to bed that night - but yesterday I wasn't on the computer until  late ---so didn't get my "stories straight"  lol   Thanks  for the clarification on that.

[Teresa]

Well mama, 40 lashes for you with a wet noodle... for not getting that right.
I couldn't think of a gals name the other day and it about drove me crazy.
I could see her,
but I'll be jiggered if I could come up with the name.
Finally I just said, "Plut! Who cares anyway". and went to bed.

At 3:40 in the morning, I sat straight up in bed and there it was.

I remembered

So the apple hasn't fallen to far from the tree in this family.

[W. Gray]

I would like to add that Waldo Gray's barbershop was in the basement underneath the post office when it was torn town.  For a number of years from around 1947 or so he and his father, Asmar (Slim) Gray, barbered in that basement shop.  Waldo moved his shop next to where Jean Gray is now.

Waldo Gray (nephew)
Centennial, CO

[Janet Harrington]

I just got to looking at the picture of this post office and noticed the barber pole in front.  However; it seems to me that my dad would go to a barber that had a shop under the old bank that is still standing.  Does anyone know who had that barber shop?