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

Some History of Buildings and Postmasters-pEaas
For the Future-When Office Employed But Two
Men.

mad increased % Der ,enr ~
ieast. At the beginning ut conceal
Garfield's administrator. iii re
spohse to my lrs2nt rec.sest te
increased the sum to $3.50. With
Tins l employed Il nc~..O man *
clerk. Previously, during tn.
eight years referred -. had n;.!f
eut OF my own pocket for two
years TO a clerk who By la.. aoi.fd
get only $500; that is. my chjer
clerk and myself paid him $3.50
per n for two years. paid
'aitosether) $500, and my chief
clerk $40. The opposition to my
continuing IN the pos1"mre
arose fro mthe fact that diun,t
employ negro clerks. had been
and still was, a Grant man
against all corners. went To
Washington to see about i
saw the president by appoint
ment. He was Very polite aud
KIND, but said that he had prom
lSeu the place to another"
First City Delivery.
Gov. Holden was Succeeded BY Col.
John Nichols in 1881, and at that
time Raleigh had a population Of
9,263. The p%ostofice force then con
sisted of the postmaster and five
clerks. In 1884 the receipts had
CdCI1Su 3AO,OOU per dnnum, ana,
t~hereupon the first city delivery was
established in Raleigh. Four letter
carriers were appointed on October |,
1884, at a salary Of $500 per annurn
each. Colonel Nichols was succeeded
by Capt. S. A. Ashe, who in turn
gave a place to Col. A. w. Shaffer.
Charles NJ. Busbee succeeded the lat
ter IN in 1894 the receipts Of the
office had reached $~25,561.51. c.. I.
Bailey was the successor Of Mr.. Bus
bee, and at the beginning of his term
mark. July /, 1899, the receipts hav-
ing exceeded 10000, Raleigh post
office entered the rank of the offices
of the first class. July. 1900. three
rural free delivery routes were eS.
tablished here, being the second Sc,
Of routes in North Carolina.
Prior to the construction Of the
government building, the Raleigh
tpostoffice had occupied several differ
ent sites on Fayetteville street. II
this connection it might be interest
ing to briefly refer to a few of tn
early pOstnasterS.
In The Raleigh Register Of January
1929, appears this obituary notice
I'm this city on Thursday evening last
in the sixty-fifth year Of his age, aftel
a lingering illness OF several weeks
MIR. William Shaw. The deceased
was a native Of the Shire of Ayre
Scotland, but had spent the bette
part Of his life in this country, an,
upwards of so years of it in Raleigh
Mr.. Shaw was for a long time post
master Of his city, vi has for man,
years been in the mercantile business
He was a good citizen, a kind neigh
Dor and friend, humane to the poo
and the distressed and was ever read.
to promote every undertaking whicl
had for its object the improvement
of the country or the condition Of it
citizens. He was n Of the Oldes
members and highly esteemed elder
of the Presbyterian church. He ha'
no child, but has left q widow an
other connections to MOURN the los
of a truly kind husband, friend an
protector
Other early postmasters besides Nj
Shaw, who, by the way, is buried i.
the old city cemetery, was Williar
Peck, who resigned the office in 1S1
and was succeeded by Benjamin f
Smith, who served until his resigna
ton in 1926. Daniel Peck, Jr, fol
lowed, and after holding the oftic
three years was succeeded in 1929 b
Thomas G.. Scott. During most OF thi
period the assistant postmaster wa
Samuel Lemay, who acted in this Ca
pacity until his death, October =
1923.
The population Of Raleigh durin
this period had grown from S'6. slave
included. in 1910 to 2,674, by tn
census of 1880. OF course, IN sue
a village the postofice merely occu
pied a small space in the store OF tn
postmaster. During the war Georg
T. Cook was postmaster, and dur1n
that, time and just prior therett
postage accounts were rendered an
collected from patrons whe had tn
privilege of being credited by the gov
ternment. Mr.. Cook was succeede
by Andrew Miller. VINO in turn gay
, place to Wiley Rogers.
BEFORE 1851 Col. John NichOl
states that the p%ostefice occupied
wooden building where Dobbin
Ferrall's store now stands. ms wa
burned in December. 1881. Durln
the war mail was handed out from
wnoden building then occupying Ber
wanger's corner. m later II wa
nnved into a house near the spot no.
occ,pied by Boylan-Pearce Comnany.
The present postmaster. Willis {