The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-12-03

Nltnln SeNeraf more weeks the va
aous departments of the Raleigh post
bfice building will transfer their Of
Ices TO other quarters and the build
ing will be turned over to Boyle Rob
ertson which has the con-
tract for the construction Of the new
addition under the appropriation
made by Congress of $4,000 for the
purpose.
Then ew addition will extend from
the present structure along Martin
street To Salisbury and will be con
Btructed of granite from the Balfour
of architecture will conform to tina
Of the present building. The new
structure will double the present
floor space and will give Raleigh one
of the most imposing, up-tO-date gov
ernment buildings in the South. An
important change will be made to the
Entrance on Martin street and it is
probable that the main entrance Of
the building will be on Martin street.
The pOStmaster'S office will face on
Martin street.
I;aleigh's present pOstoffice build
nS is little over thirty-five years old.
was started in the spring of the
year 1873 and completed -four years
later. being occupied October l, 1877.
The designer of the structure was A.
.. Mullett, ar architect of Washing
ION, ID. c., and the cost of the StruC-
lure was $4,000. The foundation of
she building was constructed of gran
Re from Vance county quarries and
HE upper part from Rowan granite.
William A. Hearne. Of Washington,
DuperviSed the construction of the
building. He advertised in the Raj
nigh papers for suitable granite and
Notified bidders that the first INSTALL
ment Of the stone must be ready for
reconstruction work within nine months,
quantity sufficient for the second
esUtory within twelve months and for
THE remaining part within eighteen
months. The s~tone-cutters were
9 ScOtchmen and two large derricks
we're used in the work. 1t was the
second stone building for Raleigh.
The lot on which it was built had
-boBn owned by the government for
SA#&nnny years and the old wooden long,
%Uarrow frame building. which had
part Of the barracks Of the un-
*T3Qn soldiers, was moved to the south
Fern end Of the lot next to the county
courthouse, while the present build
Ing was in h course Of erection.
LAYING Cornerstone.
Other than the completion Inc Oc-
6cupancy Of the present building the
most important part was the laying
kof the cornerstone by h Grand
Lodge of Masons Of North Carolina
with imposing ceremonies on July 4,
Ed874. Col. John Nichols was then
grand master and N. B. Broughton
acted as grand marshal. The Ma
IA VII
street and moved down to the capitol
where it was augmented by Governor
Caldwell and other officials, justices Of
the Supreme court, the mayor Of Raj
eigh and other dignitaries. At the
laying Of the cornerstone the Grafton
was made by Justice Edwin G. Reade,
Of the Supreme court, past grand
master, and he was introduced by
Hon. Sion Fl. Rogers. In the copper
box enclosed in the cornerstone was
honncitnd ponu ~ nrootipr v61ioS IF
early Raleigh.
When the present building W "a
completed the postmaster was ex-
Governor William w. Holden, who
was appointed by President Grant in
1879. The clerking force Of the post
Office constituted the postmaster and
one clerk, an extra man being en-
plOyed at intervals. The receipts of
the office during that year was a little
less than $4,000. At that time Raj
elsh had a population of about 5000
people. Less than thirty-fOur years
had elapsed since the first mail train
came to Raleigh over the old Raleigh
and CASTOR railroad.
Letter Boxes Put In.
During Gov. HOlden'S administra-
ton as postmaster and shorty after
the present pOstOffice building was
completed, twelve letter boxes We're
put up in various parts Of The city
in which mail could be deposited fol
dispatch. and each evening Calvin
Strickland collected this mail and car
ried it to the pOstoffice. In his mem
oirs, written in 1SSS-1S89, and pub
lished for the first time last year By
the Trinity College Historical society
Governor Holden has the following
interesting item about his service al
tnaSter:
After this (my impeachment)
I could not hold office under the
State government. I could only
hold federal office. In 1873 Pres
dent Grant offered me the Raj
eigh postoffice. | accepted it and
held it four years. In 1877, when
my first term was out. I wrote
to President HAYES and asked to