The Postal Service always has been a special responsibility, performed only by those with a commission from the US government. To be a Postmaster in any town was important. And in many small towns like Dublin, it was a secondary duty in addition to being a storekeeper, for example. Read how this was done in the village of Dublin.
HISTORY OF THE POST OFFICE IN DUBLIN
In the earliest years of the Sells Settlement which became Dublin, the closest Post Office was in Chillicothe. One account shows that a 15-year-old messenger named Andrew McElvain transported the mail, a three-day round-trip, between Chillicothe and Franklinton (which became Columbus) where settlers from the region, including those from what became Dublin, could pick up their mail.
In 1820, Daniel Wright was appointed the first Postmaster for Dublin. Wright served until 1825. The early Post Offices were usually in a store that was operated by the Postmaster. The Postmaster owned the boxes. Newton Dominy was Postmaster from 1926 until 1937 and the office was in his drug store at 29 South High Street. There were about 30 boxes at that time and the Postmaster had to take the mail from the box and hand it to the customer. Dora Krouse used the same boxes in her grocery store at 32 South High Street when she served from 1937 until 1949. These same boxes were used by Willis Hill in his grocery store at 35 North High Street while he was Postmaster from 1949 to 1955. When Ruthella Termeer became Postmaster in 1955 she moved the boxes back to 29 South High Street where her father, Newton Dominy, had been Postmaster. During Mrs. Termeer’s service, government-owned combination lock boxes were installed.
Government-owned boxes replaced boxes owned by the postmaster who could move them as needed. A “Timeline” article by the Ohio Historical Society mentions the Postmaster often was a storekeeper, which explains why the boxes were located in a general store. Before rural delivery, people had to come to town to pick up the mail. The general store was another necessary stop, so it was a natural to combine the two.
In 1900, Leonard Davis began delivering the mail on a rural route in the area to the north and west of Dublin. After he died in 1907, his widow, Ethel Davis, was appointed to continue the route. She delivered the mail by horse and buggy taking several long hours over rough terrain until 1915 when the route was ended. Rural delivery was not reinstated until 1956.
While Mrs. Termeer was Postmaster (she insisted she not be called “postmistress”, saying the correct title of the position is “Postmaster”) the office moved into its own site for the first time. On October 17, 1965, a new building at 38 West Bridge Street was dedicated. In 1982, a new and larger office was opened at 715 Shawan Falls Drive while William Doty was Postmaster. Because of the rapid growth of the Dublin area, a second post office was opened at 6400 Emerald Parkway, at Rings Road. Vicki Schnuerer was Postmaster when this second facility opened in 1995.
Postmaster (Date), Location(s) when known
- Daniel Wright (1820-1825)
- Moses Davis (1825-1828)
- Isaac Walters (1828-1830)
- John Eberly (1830-1861)
- Thomas Eberly (1861-1894)
- R.M. Merryman (1894-1897)
- Francis Riley (1897-1899)
- Frank Pinney (1899-1914), 114 South High Street
- Harry Price (1914-1926), 8 East Bridge Street
- Newton Dominy (1926-1937), 29 South High Street
- Dora Krouse (1937-1949), 32 South High Street
- Willis Hill (1949-1955), 35 North High Street
- Ruthella Termeer (1955-1967), 29 South High Street, 38 West Bridge Street (first Post Office building)
- Virginia Thompson (1967-1970 ), 38 West Bridge Street
- William Doty (1970-1986), 38 West Bridge Street, 715 Shawan Falls Drive (new facility)
- Janet Fetters (1986-1992), 715 Shawan Falls Drive
- Larry Lockhart (OIC) (1992-1993), 715 Shawan Falls Drive
- Vicki Schnuerer (1993-), 715 Shawan Falls Drive, 6400 Emerald Parkway
Sources
- Richard Termeer, Dublin Historical Society, January 2002
- “Post Offices; The mail has always gone through”, “Shanachie: A magazine of Dublin culture and history”, Dublin High School, Dublin, Ohio; Volume II, Spring 1985.
- “Small Town America”, Plowden, David;“Timeline”; The Ohio Historical Society; July-August 1996
- A: post office history