Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

post office was moved. at least on one occasion, across
the street into the old Methodist church building, before
returning to the north side near the Fisher House.
In March 1866 Richard S. McDaniel was appointed as
postmaster. Just as he was preparing to move the
office, he was replaced by Harlen Hollenbeck who was
appointed four months later. The editor of the Eureka
disapproved quite strongly, calling Hollenbeck a "my
policy supporter“, and stated that to remove a good
Union soldier, was a burning insult to every local
citizen in the Community. R.S. McDaniel owned the
drug store in the white stone-front building where Dr.
Fisher's office is now, on the north side of Main Street.
In 1868, A.P. Carter 8: H.H. Hollenbeck, having
purchased the Dry Goods, belonging to W.W.
Hollenbeck. took possession and moved the post
office into its old quarters, next door west of the store
just vacated. C. Hollenbeck was the third member of
the Hollenbecks. (The official listing of postmasters
from Washington appears to be incorrect naming him,
Harlan Hallenbeck.)
Under Hollenbeck's term, the Anamosa post office
was made a money order office. Under the rules, a
money order could be forwarded to persons in the
vacinity of other money order post offices. The charge
was 10 cents up to $20: over $20 and up to $50 — the
top amount was 25 cents. This was in 1876.
C.H. Coe served as Anamosa postmaster for nearly 12
years. He received his commission on a Monday and
Tuesday evening, moved to new quarters, one door
east of Alderman, Williams & Palmer. He expanded the
number of ordinary rental boxes to over 400, besides
the 30 lock boxes. In 1869, during his first few months
of service, the postmasters were chosen under
Presidential appointment and confirmed by the U.S.
Senate, with the salary fixed by law. Prior to this, the
wage was determined by a percentage of the amount of
mail handled.
The post ofilce was moved firstly to the building
owned and formerly occupied by B.L. Matsen as a flour
and feed store, opposite the intersection of Booth and
Main streets. Three years later, it could be found next to
the Congregational Church on Main and Booth streets.
However, in 1875, when several wooden buildings on
the north side of the street were destroyed, it was in the
path of the fire. Lou Kinert was the deputy postmaster
and "with lightening rapidity he went through each
succcesive row of boxes and gathered the letters and
papers into baskets." He had time to pull on shirt and
pants and boots. but his suspenders were hanging by
his side. Not a letter was lost.
After the fire, the post office was housed for a time
under the Eureka office. on the southeast corner of
Main and South Ford streets. This was in the hardware
store of Chatfield & Smith.
In 1879, when Coe was still postmaster, merchants
(and others) could send statements of accounts through
the mails in an unsealed envelope for 1 cent. However,
even the words, "please remit", would nullify this
amount. Also at this time. the postmasters were
ordered to stamp on the back of all letters received at
the post office, the date when it was received at the
office. This intended to "catch the carelessness of the
postmasters and deputies", if there was a delay in the
delivery.
The tranquility under William B. Fish was short-
-lived, after his appointment in January 1881. A
“tribulation” broke out when the owner of the post
office building, William Shaw, the tailor, carried out his
intention to raise the rent for the next postmaster. Fish
made a bargain with R.O. Peters for a room in the
Arcade Block (the three buildings on the southeast
comer of Booth and Main streets] for lower rent. This
simply put Fish in more hot water with a considerable
number of businessmen, who objected to the transfer of
the post office so far away from the center of business.
In November 1885 the post office was moved into the
new building put up by Mr. Fish. This was on the north
side of Main Street across from the Congregational
Church.
The patrons used this site until May 1887, when it
was moved to the Commercial Block on the northwest
corner of Main and North Garnaviilo streets, in N.S
Noble's turn at postmastering. This move was not
peacefully accomplished. Anamosa businessmen were
not only upset, they filed a bi-partisan complaint and a
petition for a re-hearing to the Postmaster General.
who in turn, sent two inspectors to Anamosa to see how
far away the post office would be from the center of
business. This would appear to have been a token
gesture, as they weren't empowered to make any
authoritive recommendation.
Editor Booth explained what accompanied the
complaint: “The same mail that carried out the petition
for a ‘re-hearing‘ in the post office location squabble,
also bore a document in the shape of a birds-eye-view of
the entire town.
"We have no doubt Postmaster General Villas is now
burning the midnight oil in viewing the artistic
masterpiece of civil engineer Henry Keller and A.
Koch's aeriel photo of the most picturesque, as well as
the liveliest political town in Iowa.
"Having absorbed the principal points of interest set
forth. the Post Master General will proceed to step off in
his mind the relative distances between the present
post office location and Cranberry Hill, Strawberry Hill,
Lover's Lane (south Garnaviilo), Piety Hollow, West
London (Dublin) and ‘The Pen‘. The results will then be
accurately marked off on a tow string and turned over
to the tender mercies of the Civil Service Commission of
the administration of brotherly love, after which the
document will be reverently deposited in their last
resting place among the archives of the government."
It seemed to be understood that whoever the next
postmaster would be, the post office would be moved as
speedily as possible to a point central to business. To
expedite the move Mr. Noble made arrangements for a
new block to be erected where Albaugh's Photography
is now, and even before the building was erected he
petitioned the postal government to allow him to
temporarily house the post ofiice in the rear of the Mrs.
C.E. McCarn's book store, where Stoltz Insurance is
now. This was done because the post office building in
the Commercial Block was rented to other parties.
Civil War veteran E.J. Wood was appointed
postmaster in April 1890. He served out his four years
in good order, and the post office remained in the same
location, next door to the Opera House. Wood's home
was on the present site of the Lutheran Church
parsonage, on North Ford Street.
Edward C. Holt followed Wood as postmaster. Holt
was in construction for many years. and was
instrumental in the building of many businesses on
Main Street and homes in the Anamosa area. He served
as postmaster for four years. In 1892, while the post
office site was convenient for most folks, one elderly
gentleman had a complaint. which he made public in a
letter to the editor. It was written as follows: “ED.