Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1912-05-31
TWENTY-oNE HUNDRED
Po5ToFFlcFS IN STATE
Some Interesting Statistics Regarding
the Mail SouSes ard The Names
of the PostoHees.

liE wan FNLAtNc cru AftE NatlfNo
of the Postoffees.
On April /, 1919. there were in op-
Grafton In the State OF West Virginia
alec postoffiees OF all CLASSES; zoos
being posiofices OF the fourth class,
and 10l being presidential Offices,
1885 Offices nave been authorized to
issue money orders, and IS postoGices
have BEEN designated as postal saw
ings repositories, with approximate
~ s35,500 on deposit Thist amount
was deposited by about coo deposi.
tors. or an average of shout $50 per
deposition Since the opening Of the
repositories in West Virginia there
have been more than 1900 deposits
made, an average of over two depos-
its to each depositor and about $50
Withdrawals, an average Of less than
one TO each two depositors. West
Virginia ranks thirty-eighth, as com
pared with number Of depositors and
amount on deposit in other states of
the union, this is a most satisfactory
showing for state containing no
large cities. or one having no great
army of industrial workers. the pop
ulation being largely OF the agricul-
turnl class. who own and work on
their own property, thus eliminating
to a large degree the regular wage
that is usually the source of the ma
ior portion OF the amounts deposited
in the postal banks.
The state has 514 star routes,
these being the country mail routes
where the mails are carried by other
conveyance than the railroads or the
steamboats,, mostly on horse or by
stage.
Rural free delivery has been estab-
lished on 500 routes, and inspectors
are constantly looking over the ground
with view Of establishing new routes
of this character, which in many
cases do away with the old star
routes" but the familiar sight Of mud
spattered mail carrier astride his
gaunt half-starved nag is still common
in the inland districts of the state
where good roads are unknown.
Fayette county contains lis post
Offices, the largest number in any
county in the state. and Hancock and
Brooke counties containing only six
each have the fewest offices.
Ohio county, in which is located the
city of Wheeling. produces by far the
largest revenue to the postal service
of any county In the state, nearly all
Z which is derived from the Wheeling
Office
AID. Mercer county. is the shortest
naIhed postofiice in the state, and Co
lumbia Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier
eounty. containing twenty-five letters
is the longest. Little Sewell Mountain
and White Sulphur Springs both al
SO in Greenbrier county, are the next
longest names.
Evidently some localities We're
hard put to 1t to find names for their
offices as will be noted from the fol-
lowing list Of outlandtsh and unusual
names. Boone county has Bald
Knob and an Anchor; BraSton a Bull
town. Clip and a Wildcat. and Hope,
Home, Progress and slap; Cabeli
has Saltrock and a Raccoon; Calhoun
Tol,ar. rIov p,o otter Duck and n
varteedam. Doddridge Big Battle,
Joy and Coldwater: Fayette has
Beauty. Hawks Nest and Ravens
Eve. creenhriar has a CornstaIk.
rro,,+ and sunlight. Jackson has a
rrroyencamn and Skuli Run; Kama
u.ba hos an Angel a Dial and a Der
rick. lincoln has n Cowtide. Mud and
sod. Topan a Panther. a Longpole.
and souirelim. Mason has an Apple
GROVE Flatrock and a Gunville:
Mercer has a pride. a Rock and a
wolfe. Mineo has a Bias. Cold. a
hos paw Paw and sieepy Creek: