The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-02-15
RECALLS DAYS IN
| OLD POST OFFICE
Garrett Van Wsrdsn Holds RECORD for
Longest Service a Clerk
In the Local De-
partment.
I'm THREE = BUILDINGS
soud and Anderson Are Veteran Cars
rIers In the keokuk Office
Were Among the
80 E
THREE BUILDINGS

Postoffilcss OF nearly fifty years age
were not the smoothly running ma
chimes they are now. In quarter Of
a century even the biggest kind Of
changes have taken place in tbs off,
ces in general and in the KeokuN
postoffice particularly. Think Of hav
ing to go to the postoffice to get your
mail, when there were no carriers
And think of seeing the postmasters
issuing orders, selling stamps and
collecting box rents. All these things
we're realities OF the old Offices.
Garrett c. VanWerden, who holds
the distinction of being the Oldest
clerk in the local postoffice, entered
tlle service in 1871, when the Office
was situated on Second street, south
Of Main. He moved with the Office to
the Gibbons building and then into
the present building. The transitions
through which the Office has gons
have been part OF Mr.. vanWerden's
service for this branch OF government
work.
George Anderson and E. S. Bouo
are the oldest carriers, and they can
remember the days when their APP
pointments hinged on their politicai
Affiliations, in the days before the
civil service became a part OF the
Office system. e
The first postofiice was on Second
street back Of the present Irwin PHI
lips building. Mr.. Van Werden was in
this building Just three months. Then
tbs office was moved to the Gibbons
building at Sixth and Main streets,
where 1t remained until the present
government building was built and
occupied.
Everyone Had Boxes.
In the days before the local ONCE
became a carrier office, everybody
had box or went to the general de-
livery window. When the postofflce
occupied buildings that were not gov
eminent property, the postmaster was
the one to derive the revenue from
the boxes. He owned them and the
rent he charged went into his pocket.
The postmaster then received a sal
airy of approximately $4,000, with the
box rents.
Even with this Immense amount Of
work to do, the Office was run by
three clerks, the postmaster and his
assistant. Considering the fact thar
the matter had all TO be stamped by
hand-canicelling machines were thsn
as we'll known as flying machines.
and that calls at the general delivery
window were numerous, the business
was well taken care Of However,
there were no short hours, or rather
no regular hours as now.
Readers Paid the Postage.
One very interesting fact which
Mr. VanWerden recalled was that in
those days the readers had to pay
the postage. People who subscribed
for the daily papers would call for
their paper and pay the postage rate.
The same for magazines. Those who
read Harpers, Or any OF thu maya.
zines then published would have to
pay for the carrying Of the periodf-
cal. The pound rates, and the pub
lisher's paying the postage were then
not in use.
The Office had a little book In
which was entered the name Of every
person who subscribed for paper or
magazine and the name of the periodi-
cal Then when the periodical came
the Subscribers name was looked up