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Post Offices
According to the history of Freeland written by Charles Stumpf, there have been a succession of post offices in Freeland. Most of the information on this page comes from him, and more information can be found in his booklet, Freeland.
A post
office was established at Upper Lehigh in 1867 (and closed in 1929),
and residents of
South Heberton received their mail there until South Heberton was
annexed to Freeland. Another post office was
established in the Woodside
section on February 19, 1873. On November 27, 1876 the name of this
post office was changed from Woodside to Freeland.On April 16th, 1890, building contractor John M. Cunnius began work on the foundation for a new Freeland post office, and Andrew Fritzinger was in charge of all masonry work on the building.
In the early
20th century the
Freeland
Post Office was located in the Goeppert
building at 714 Centre Street, on the west side of the street between
Front and Walnut streets. The information visible at the top of
the building says "A. C. 1893" (or maybe it's A. G.).Here's what the 1921-1922 city directory said about Freeland's post office:
Postmaster: E. J. Doggett
Assistant Postmaster: Orion L. Vanaken
Clerks: George C. Farrar, Ralph Alden
Carriers: T. J. Doggett, George Woodring, Patrick Roarty
Rural Delivery to White Haven: Lester Stine, messenger
Office hours:
General Delivery and stamps: 7 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Money orders: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Registry window: 7 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Deliveries: 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 2:30 p.m., p.m.
Collections: 7:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m.
Mails arrive: 7:10, 8 and 10:48 a.m. and 1:45 and 7:15 p.m.
A new post
office
building was constructed in the mid-1930s and was
dedicated on October 30, 1937. This is the current Freeland Post Office
and stands on the northwest corner of Main and Washington streets.
These great photographs, taken during the construction of the current
post office building, are provided here courtesy of Bill Smith. Note
that several nearby buildings have been labeled: the Cottage Hotel,
Fisher's garage and house, the Marsh home, and Gene Boyle's Cafe. At
left, ground is being broken for the new building. At right, workers
are framing the new building.
Artist John
Folinsbee was commissioned in October 1937 to paint a mural, measuring
13 feet 11 inches long, and 5 feet 3 inches high, over the
door to the Postmaster's office. This work was part of the Federal
government's Works Progress Administration (WPA) program. The mural is
still there today and gives a beautifully rendered bird's-eye view of
the local area at the peak of autumn color.