Interesting Facts About Some Early County Post Offices

 

Through the years interesting facts about the early post offices have been published. I find these interesting and informative to read. Here are some of these interesting tidbits.

* Lambs, Lambsville or Willow Grove was a small pioneer town located on the Flynn’s Ferry road in the 1830s, and was started by Joel Lamb, who first built a blacksmith shop and a tanyard. It was located near the Fishtrap Road and Wilson Farm Road.

* January 17, 1895 – A new post office will shortly be established at J. H. Robinson’s on the Marion and Fords Ferry route. The name of the office is “Mounds,” and J. H. Robinson will be the official to stand upon it.

* Jan. 17, 1895 - Mounds Post Office was housed in a country store building. The store was the property of Mr. Harloe Robinson. Both the store and the office were operated by Mr. Robinson.

* August 17, 1899 – A new post office has been established in Rodney. It is at James Hickland’s and Mr. Hickland is the postmaster. The office is supplied Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays from Weston.

* Mar. 29, 1900 – Starr is a new post office, situated at Piney Camp grounds, near Stonewall. We have two mails a week, Tuesday and Friday. Carl T. Boucher is the postmaster and is already to hand out your mail or sell you goods.

* The Pony post office established July 19, 1880, by Richard Vanhook who remained postmaster until John T. Cochran took over January 12, 1881. Pony was discontinued Dec. 14, 1884, and its mail service assumed by Levias. Going by the usual procedure of post offices in the county, the post office was conducted in a corner of Richard Vanhook’s general store somewhere near Midway.

* Kirksville-Hurricane-Tolu – The post office department reveals that the post office in Tolu was first established as Hurricane Aug. 23, 1857. It was changed to Tolu Feb. 3, 1890. The post office of Hurricane was in a boat at the river, when the town was named Tolu the office was moved from the river to town.

* The Weston Post Office was originally established as Westonburg on February 22, 1859. The post office named was changed to Weston on October 24, 1877. Rose E. Sturgeon was appointed as the last postmaster on February 11, 1916 and served until the post office was discontinued on July 31, 1916.

* Frances Post Office. Mr. Marion F. Pogue of Frances furnished this information on the little village of Frances, that it was named, probably by a romantic post office clerk, for Miss Frances Folsom, who became the wife of President Grover Cleveland. Frances was the first post office named after the marriage and was so christened on the day the wedding was announced. At different periods before the coming of the post office this community was variously known as “Cross Roads,” Liberty,” and “Needmore,” but as each of these names was already in use by other post offices in the state, a new one was necessary. As the people of the community made no suggestion the privilege fell to employees of the post office department, as that is the custom in such instances.

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All of the rural post offices, but two, Crayne and Dycusburg, have long since been discontinued with Tolu being the last to be discontinued in 2011. But most all the old communities in the territory in which they were located still go by the old names.

Most of these long ago post offices where located in a corner of the local grocery store, or in some instances, the house of the postmaster. These old post offices were a welcome addition to the small communities and besides being convenient for the local residents to use, it was a daily place to meet and visit with your friends and neighbors, a great place to catch up on the happenings in your community. What great memories to have of those old post offices, grocery stores and communities of yesteryear.

Cave-In-Rock Ferry Became a Free Service in 1994

 

 The owner of the Cave-In-Rock Ferry closed his ferry service in the June of 1994.  There was no ferry service for the Illinois and Kentucky sides to cross.  At the time the charge for crossing the river on the ferry was $5.00.  It was nearly 5 months before the ferry service got started back up.  

As a result of efforts from the Ferry Authority, elected officers, business owners and county magistrates from both states, the Cave-In-Rock Ferry reopened for business on November 10, 1997, as a free service.   What an exciting day it was for both Kentucky and Illinois.  

Kentucky and Illinois both sharing the cost of the ferry.  It was the first time in the history of the Cave-in-Rock ferry that a state subsidy had funded the service. 

Without the Cave-In-Rock Ferry, motorists leaving Cave in Rock, Ill, for Kentucky would have to drive dozens of miles out of the way to either the Ky. 56 Shawneetown Bridge or U.S. 45 Brookport Bridge.  Using the Ferry and Ky. 91 North, there are only 11 miles between Marion and Cave-in Rock and Southern Illinois.

          John May, standing on left, was our current Judge Executive at the time.  

More than 100 people attended the ceremony on both sides of the river.  The free ferry service began about 1:30 that day and began on a regular 16-hour schedule Friday morning. 

 Lonnie Lewis, now owner of the ferry service, said they had been extremely busy the first six days and merchants here are lauding the increased sales they are realizing from southern Illinois shoppers. 

Ollie M. James Birthplace

 

This is a post card of the birthplace of Ollie M. James.  He was born here July 27, 1871 to Lemuel and Elizabeth James.  I do not have a date for the publication of the postcard.

This log cabin, typical of the homes of that era, contained a center hall which separated the living room-bedroom from the kitchen.  The room near the chimney was added some years later.

The remains of this log cabin stood for many years near the community of Sheridan, on the now named, Coy Watson road.  At one time the mailbox was still visible. I've been told now there isn't anything that remains of the old historic home.  

In the 1933's when work was being done on State Highway 297, then called the Wallace-Ferry Road, which ran close by the cabin, it had been proposed that the cabin be acquired and preserved as a memorial to the memory of Senator Ollie M. James.  This was never done and is now just a part of our forgotten passages of time, with nothing to show the location. 

The James family didn't live here too long after Ollie was born.  Mr. James was a well-known lawyer, and when son Ollie got school age, they moved to Marion so he could get his education from the city schools and Mr. James could be near his business.

This is the James home on East Depot Street.  Ollie lived here during his years in politics.

It's still beautiful today.  A Marion treasure.

Marion and Crittenden County have always been proud of our own Ollie M. James who was elected to the United States House of Representative to serve in the 58^th Congress, and was re-elected to the same position in the 59^th, 60^th, and 61^st and 62^nd Congresses. He won the nomination for United States Senator in the 1911 Democratic Primary, and was elected to the Senate by the Kentucky Legislature for a six-year term beginning March 4, 1913.

Ollie James was elected Permanent Chairman of the 1914 Democratic National Convention. He was considered the Party's outstanding orator, and many thought him to be the favorite for the Democrat's 1920 Presidential Nomination.

His death in 1918 at John-Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where he was taken after collapsing at his post in the United States Senate, cut short a most brilliant career. His death was from an incurable kidney disease.