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Post offices that have historical plaques or historical designation.

Post offices that have historical plaques or historical designation.

Former (Former) Clarksville Tennessee Post Office

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Former Clarksville TN Post Office 37040
Former Clarksville TN Post Office 37040

ADDRESS: 200 S. Second Street, Clarksville, Tennessee 37040

My research reveled there was a mural installed in the old Clarksville post office. Which post office in Clarksville? I have no idea. The building I show in this article seems too old to have had artwork from the depression, but maybe I’m wrong. What little I did find, mentions F. Luis Mora and is titled “Arrival of Col. John Donaldson”. My research also revels this may have been destroyed. Does anyone out there know anything about the Clarksville mural? Better yet do you have pictures of it?  Howard Hull’s book doesn’t even mention Clarksville.

I found the downtown Clarksville, TN building but this was from the 1960’s. I’m posting this article in hopes that someone out there has some information they’d be willing to share.

At the time I visited, I wasn’t willing to pay the admission since I was only interested in this section of the museum. After speaking with the front desk, I was also told there is no mural and the building was remodeled when it became the museum. No need to pay $7 for a quick look inside I said to myself.  My wife was also waiting in the car and we were in a hurry to get dinner.

Now that I’m writing up this article, I kind of wish I would have taken the extra few minutes to see the interior of this old building. Although, I may not have seen anything related to the old post office days, I think it would have been neat just be inside such an old very beautiful building. So folks you can learn from my mistakes. If you get the chance to view the inside of this building I’s suggest you take a few minutes to go inside, and if you do please report back and comment below.

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.

Sources

Marshall Michigan Post Office

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Marshall MI Post Office 49068
Marshall MI Post Office 49068

ADDRESS: 202 E. Michigan Ave., Marshall, Michigan 49068

Do I have a story for you? This one is exciting and totally unexpected. My wife planned a surprise for me and never told me where I was going one weekend in November of 2013. As it turns out we ended up in Marshall, Michigan. Can you guess why? Do any of you know what is in Marshall? Have you heard of this? I have to tell you I only read about this a year ago. To be honest I almost forgot about it. So as a birthday surprise my wife planned a tour with Michael Schagg himself.

Update, February 11, 2014

With all the excitement of the holiday’s I forgot to publish the Marshall, Michigan post office. I was so excited to write-up my Marshall Michigan Museum visit that I completely overlooked the actual Marshall post office. So now that its freezing cold here in the Chicago-Land area and not much else do but work inside, I’ve been doing some house cleaning and sifting through my stuff. I realized I never posted this one so here I am doing some clean up and getting to all those “To do” items that seem to escape me now and then.

Thanks for stopping by

David W. Gates Jr.

Sources

  • Personal visit on11/9/2013 by David W. Gates Jr.
  • United States Postal Service

Springfield Ohio Post Office

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Springfield OH Post Office 45501
Springfield OH Post Office 45501

ADDRESS: 150 North Limestone Street, Springfield, Ohio 45501
ARTIST: Herman Henry Wessel (H. H. Wessel)
TITLE: Printing in Springfield and Manufacture of Farm Implements
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (murals)
STATUS: The Springfield post office is still an active, operating facility, and the murals can be viewed by interested members of the public. They resides on the wall in the main lobby.
YEAR: 1933

The story goes like this. It was late November and I was driving around Ohio to get as many post offices as I could. It was getting late and I was hours away from the in-laws house. I waited and I waited some more to get an un-obstructed view of this building. I’ll just tell you now, it never happened. The image  you see above was the closest I got to a full building photo.

The sun was setting and my light was getting to be a challenge. One thing you don’t see or may realize, is just how cold it was during this photo shoot. In addition to the cold it was windy making standing outside waiting an uncomfortable situation. I sat in my car and waited for people and cars to clear from the front of the building. I stood outside with my tripod and camera hoping people might see what I was trying to do. But not one single car moved or attempted to get out-of-the-way. I guess they all had important things to mail. I’m not complaining, it’s great for the post office. But it sure does make my job much more challenging.

One great discovery I found was the historical sign on the outside of the building. To be honest I didn’t even look at it until now in late December, which is more than a month after my initial visit. I did however, use my phone an QR reader and was immediately taken to the website dedicated for this historical building. The page mentions the two murals still exist here but during my visit was not able to see them.

What struck me as odd is that I did go into the lobby and looked for them. The historical page created for this mentioned the restoration efforts uncovered the murals. So that begs the question. Where are they located inside the building? The retail counter area was closed so I’m wondering if the murals are located in the retail section of the lobby? I guess I’ll have to plan another visit to Springfield Ohio. What do you know about the murals here? Are they inside the retail section of the lobby? Are they in a different room of his massive building?

So that’s the story, I grabbed what photos I could and jetted back to in-laws house several hours away. Did some research for this article and included some additional sources below. I hope you’ve enjoyed the Springfield Ohio Post Office.

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.

Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501
Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501 Cornerstone
Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501
Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501
Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501
Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501
Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501
Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501
Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501
Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501
Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501
Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501
Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501

Update October 2022

During a road trip in October of 2022, I swung by the Springfield, post office. My first visit was after hours and the building was closed. This time around I visited during business hours and was able to get inside the building. In addition I was also able to see the small museum they have set aside off to the right of the retail section. What a treat, especially since it was rainy and close this day.

Springfield Ohio Post Office 45501
Springfield OH Post Office 45501 Mural1-signature
Springfield OH Post Office 45501 Mural
Springfield OH Post Office 45501 Mural
Springfield OH Post Office 45501 Mural Full
Springfield OH Post Office 45501 Cornerstone
Springfield OH Post Office 45501 Artifacts
Springfield OH Post Office 45501 Artifacts

Sources