The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-03-01
SUNDAY, MARCH |, 1908
sPosToFFlcEs, OLD AND NEW.

POsTOFFlCES, OLD AND NEW.
4 The prosperity and growth OF city CITY
as shown almost invariably by It's POST
sof1ice business, and we are justifed IN
saving that Judged by this standard
\ Richmond is In a fine condition ne
demand for better accommodations for
fthe postoftlce here is no mere Idle am p D.
ton of the community to have a larger
Federal building. but 1t Is reasonaoie
and sensible Gull for more room IN wmch
TO receive and forward the pals.
W. And what n lot Of letters people do write
nowadays The invention and use or
typewrtlng IS responsible for much OF TINS
III was not so when people had TO 40 thelr
writing With Il pen; much less when that
pen was made of quill, and when the
penman had to stop frequently to trim ITS
point. Then, too, in those more or less less
halycon days. the postage rates were 81 ;S-
tremely high a man had to,-looK mo
his purse, and do some figuring before
be mailed a. half dozen letters. NOW the
business man comes down to MS once
in the morning, finds some dozens OF let
ters awaiting him, dictates answers 20 his
stenographer, goes out to his !uncn. ana
upon his return signs the sheats lthat
have been written for him. Taas re
does more correspondence in one day than
his forefa Tiers could have done IN three
or four.
With the diffusion of education aid the
Increase in letter writing and newspaper
publishing has come, quite naturally.
need for better postoflces We have
no information as to where Richmond
first postotiicc. was located. but In or
near some tavern away down town, we
guess. We do know that for some de-
lcades, in comparatively modern time, u
was located on or near Cary Street. be-
tween Tenth and Thirteenth Streets. The
ga ok ct boats running on the canal had
their landings on the Basin-Bank while
the stages were wont to start from the
Eagle Hotel or the Columbian, the for
,ner Of which stood on the square where
the Western Union Telegraphic office now
Is, While the latter occupied the site on
shockoe slip, now covered by Crensllaw's
Warehouse.
It seems to have boon the practice OF
the government to rent quarters for the
pos tofl!ce, and when the Exchange Hotel
was built in the fortles portion Of
it was secured for this purpose That
portion fronted Fourteenth Street, and
there 1t was wholly above ground, but
viewed from Franklin Street Is was to al
gtntents and purposes basement, above
which three full stories arose.
No vestige Of the Exchange now re-
mains. 1t fell into dlsuse when the Jeffer-
son was built and after long period OF
vacancy it was torn down to make way
for wholesale houses
With many people the Exchange Is. bul
dream-like memory; with others 1t Is
a lively recollection associated with biz
balls and suInptuous dinners, with the
presence Of distinguished strangers, ant
with the sight OF a lobby rammed,. pack
ed and damned when State conventions
were in session, or when there were ex
cited contests before the Legislature.
When the new postofflce ullding wa!
completed in 1855 or SO. the postoffce ant
the office of the Collector of Custom!
were removed to it, the Custom FIous,
having for some years previous been II
rented building on Fifteenth Street
between Main and Cary.
turing the Civil War, SO called. III.
Confederate Government found 1t ncces
sary to make use of the city postoftic'
Fl building for general purposes. The
President and some members OF his Cab
met had Offices upstairs, while the Treas
ury Department occupied the Main Stree
floor. Meanwhile the city postotlice oc
cupied quarters under the Spottswoot
Hotel, and there 1t remained until som
months after tho evacuation. Then !
was restored to its old place. where
is now. Once since then it has bee
moved; this was when the addition wa
put TO the building. That was durln
clevelands term. when Mr., Cullingswort
was postmaster, and when temporar
quarters were secured for the office /
the northwest corner OF Cary an
Eleventh.
The postofice building, as we see It nov
is e. remodeled and enlarged building
front and rear The original buildin
withstood the fire of evacuation da!
April 8, 1866. and on that account may
called tireprooi, but 1t had the ohviol
advantage of standing separate and apa1
from AL other buildings which misl
communicate FIRE to It. Sparks fell upo
It's metal roof. but harm!essly.
Observation-Disclosures
!. A PLAIN ANSWER TO a Pl-All