The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-10-28

Probably the smallest postonce in |
the United States is the one located in |
Searsburg (Vt.) over which Needham
Drury Bartlett faithfully presdes as
postmaster. The building is located |
about seven miles west of Wilmington,
on the road leading to the great storage
dam in Somerset, and stands at the
base of a steep hillside. The building
itself covers about u by % feet of
ground, is one story high and is made
of rough sawed boards put up and down
with cleats to close up the cracks and
is covered with a shanty roof made in
much the same way, only the cleats are
wider. In this building is found the
postoffiee proper, consisting of one room
eight feet wide and 10 feet long. and
in this one room Postmaster Bartlett
not only has a two-drawer thread case
one drawer for first class mail, but also
his cook stove. one cushioned rocking
chair, bench presumably used as a
dining table, and his couch on which
he sleeps, besides vast number of old
| books. magazines, papers of various
sorts and a small stock of merchandise
offered for sale put up on shelving on
| all sides of the room, says the Brattle-
| boro letter in the Springfield Sunday
/ Republican
! The building faces east and the long
way is east and west, and the room in
| which the United States government s
/ business is done is 10 feet out of the
20 and $ feet out of the L. which
/ leaves 10 feet on the west end and four
feet on the north side that is not used
for governmental purposes. The 10
feet space is a sort of woodshed and
barn combined and contains a general
array of this, that and the other thing,
besides a small amount of wood. The
four-foot space ON the north side is
also filled with most evcrvthin. mclud-
ing some cooking utensils and groceries,
Opening off from this four-foot room
is little projecting leau-to about three
by three feet, which was the only visi-
BILE apology for first class bathroom
In this little space the postmaster
washes his face, combs his hair and at
tends TO other necessary toilet arrange
mentS.
Water for all purposes is obtained
| from spring south of the house in
the bank which also feeds q very small
pond IA few feet to the north of TIN,
spring. Directly west of the buildina
is steep hillside making up the bal
| anee of the one acre owned bv Mr.
Bartlett. The hillside has been clcare,
| of timber and terraced perhaps o
| times, and on these terraces, none q
| which are more than four or FIVE fee
| wide, and some of them much less tn
| postmaster, when not busy with hi
official or culinary duties. makes an,
tends his garden He raises peas, beans
eucumberS and tomatoes, and som
other vegetables that grow who'll,
/ above the ground. He docs not how
= ever, raise or eat at all any vegetable
that grow in the ground. such as bccts
turnips and potatoes, as he contend
. such were made for use of beasts ONLY
Mr.. Bartlett has an ingenious devic
+ that warns him when working at tn
, extreme end of his acre plot, that som
, one needs his services at the postoffic,
II consists of cord running from owe
e the front door up the hill to a mario,
: level where it is attached to a lengt
of stove pipe suspended and in whic
rs tongue made from an iron and q
| the end of the iron is an old tomat
can filled with gravel When the 70,
Is pulled the stove pipe is forced bac
and forth against the can and II
sound of this bell calls the tiller of II
soil to his official duties as Uncle Sam
i agent On the front of the buildir
facing the road is the sign "Don
call on Sunday Mr. Bartlett q
$ planned that he absolutely refuses
y do any business either for Uncle Sa
a or himself on the Lord S day. There
x also a sign on the door. "Call at II
q woodshed = and a sign that can |
- used on the woodshed door directil
p patrons where the postmaster NAV |
!. found.
: As to the postmaster himself, he
a tai angular spareoffiesh gen tlems
OF 40 years of age. He converses in
es clear, even tone and shows for
a deep faith in God and a remarkab
knowledge of the Bible. He was bo
or in Shutesbury, Mass, March IL. 1874
ST In early life he was always frail. ha
!, ing as he said "a sort of lung troub
"a weakness and general debility so
- couldn t do anything" and he attri
=, utes his recovery to Good Providen
~ that put him in line with what to Q
,,t and what not to. He went to Scar
yn burg in 1876 for the purpose of doil
of religious work and has lived there ev
of since. He has held the Office of TOW
grand juror, constable and tax collect
,st and for the past five years has be
be postmaster When he first took the ,
TT flee it pafd but $72. This past We
of has been on exceptionally good one a
ty the Office has produced the princely
en- come of almost 500
Mr.. Bartlett does several other thin
s.. at times that add to his income.
ct, picks few ferns at y cents 7
bunch of % each and at this busint