The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-01
THE POST.OFF|C||:'.[:..
As It " 4 5 AND {. IS.
History of the Federal
Building That May
Be Torn Down.
HAS BEEN OWNED
BY TWO NATIONS
How Richrnond's Postoffice Build
ing Was Used by the South
ern Confederate Escaped
Evacuation Fire-Mr.
Davis Before
Underwood.

4 AS the new postmaster assumes MS
duties May 1sts he will necessarily
have to hear much or tho discus
sion going on concerning larger post
{ office for Richmond, the purchase Of an
entire block, the change Of site, n new
and more imposing building ana all that
kind Of thing.
s This discussion was supposed to have
been Il in end, and all the questions Of
site and enlargement settled when the
q government bought the Shafer property
md practically decided to add to the
capacity OF the present building instead
20! erecting IL new one. @ ss
~ But the talk OF getting a million dollar
appropriation for improvements Of Rich
noIld's postal service and the proostIon
4 OF Mr. Charles T.. Todd, printed IN last
II Sundays Times Dispath that Uncle Sam
Z. take Il Whole block. have combined to re-
open the entire subject. and there Is no
telling how many questions Postmaster
Cahell Will have to answer within the
lcxt few weeks. Under all the cilcum-
stances n sketch OF Itichinond's post
Office will be Interesting. Il
Summary of Early History
1.-The first mention OF Richmond's post
office history Is to be found In and old
--Eity Directory. published here III 1919.
the first directory of Richmond that was
ever published. From that 1t is learned
4 that the postonlcc was then on Cary
street. between Thirteenth ana Four
,.-anth. II is learned from other sources
that later on 1t was removed one square
higher up Cary Street. In 1874 1T was
removed to the basement Of the En-
change Hotel, one East Franklin Street.
and there it remained until $50. when
tho present building was finished and
occupied. The preseYt sitc was bought
4 in 1854. and operations begun on the
building In the spring Of 1855. II The gov
sernnent was four;sy sl doing tho work,
! the building being completed and occu :
pied early III 1859.
@ Until then the postofficc. the Federal
: courts and the custom house were sep
aratet. Tho new building, however, OF
fered quarters for them ALL The custom
house had been n rented building on the
west side OF Fifteenth Street. between
Main and Cnry. There 1t was that the
office was blown open BY robbers. who
came In the night and carried oft q large
sum Of money, most of (which they con-
cealed under the Broad Street arch which
spans Shockoc Creek. In n few days
they were captured, and ono Of them con-
fcsscd everything, enabling the govern
ment to recover most OF the money stolen
and convict the thieves and send them
i to the pcnitentiary.
The War Period.
y OF course, in 1861 the Confederate gov.
eminent took charge OF the building, and
the main floor was used In connection
with the Treasury Department. while
one OF the stores under the Spotswood
Hotel. corner OF Eighth and Main Streets,
was rented for {, postoffice. In 1865.
when the Federal troops entered Rich
mond. In the month Of April. they re-
established tho postoffice In It's former
home, where 1t has been ever since,
except when It was vacated temporarily.
while lie work OF repairing and remod-5
cling the old building was going on.
That was during the first administration
OF Postmaster Culingsworth, when the
second floor OF n spacious warehouse at
the northwest corner OF Cary and Ilev-
enth Streets was rented for postofflce
purposes and a. very convenient and
well arranged postofflce It made. AZ
that time the general courts found tenn
porary quarters In the Grant house, on
Twelfth Street, adjoining President Da-
$vis's old house, and on spot where the
Central School building is now loca ted
Governments First Purchase.
Formerly the lot on which the custom
house stands sloped from Bank Street to.
Main, and carly In the history of the
state was occupied by buildings OF varl-
Gus sorts. but none Of an imposing char
acter until q Mr. EXall. leasing several
of tho lots from Mr.. James NJ, Wick
ham, the owner, erected upon thcm,tllree
three STORY business houses. and IN doing
this lie removed to the Capitol Square Q
fire engine house,
II In 1854 Congress passed an act authors
No. lon, Of a hllfl1inp
Richmond, with the Intention OF accom-
modating the United States courts and
tho CUSTOM house and postofflcc all under
ono roof.
*. Tho custom ho,lsc was then III q entcd
building on the west side OF Fifteenth
Street, between Main and Cary; the post
office was under tho Exchange Hotel, on
the Fourteenth Street 'front.' and court
was occupying temporary quarters,
thought It had from time 10 time held Us
sessions in the hall Of the House of Del
egates, and there It was that Chief JUS
tice Marshall sat to try Aaron Burr.
The lot WAS bought In 1854 from the
WickhAns. the l1xnll and other buildings
removed and the erection of the Federal
building was begun In 1885, The archl-,
tnct was Henry Exall, and Ito was also
the asuperint endentfo of construction ut
the beginning, but was succeeded by AL
bert I4ybrock, who had been his empoye
and whom Ito brought here from New
York, Under Mr. Lybrocks management
the building was erected and turned over
to the government, The cost was about
$3.50. 900, though in this sum WAS In
Guided some alterations. long afterwards
made, 10 suit tho neods of the various
departments.
A Great Banquet,
BY the o2d tI February, 1865, the en-
tire building was nearly completed, and
on tho evening OF that date, that being
the day on which the statue of Washing
ton was unveiled, when Richmond was
crowded with distinguished guests Of tho
state and city. a banquet took place in
fCnnt;n,,ed ON Mia nth Page. syy.{ n