Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book
Nichols - Our Town - 1984U. S. POST OFFICE
HISTORY OF THE PIKE TWP. POST OFFICE
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, pages 13-15
By Mary E. CarterThe first post office in Pike township was officially established at Lacey on 15 December 1860. It was in the home of Samuel Nichols, east of Nichols, and Sam was the first appointed postmaster. It had actually been at this location over twenty years, however, when it was closed on 22 August 1871.
Nicol Station was established 14 October 1870, with B. F. Nichols, a son of Samuel, as the first postmaster. The name was changed to Nichol on 21 May 1883 and finally to Nichols on 20 June 1892.
The first post office boxes are still in the Nichols family.
According to Miriam Banhagel, Bert Nash (Bernice Hadley’s father) was the first rural carrier. He quit to farm during World War I, and Fred Schmitt carried the mail. Ira “Ike” Renshaw started as a temporary carrier on Rural Route 2 on 1 November 1919 and was appointed 20 December 1920. His route was 18 5/8 miles, and his annual salary was $1440. Fred Hummel carried the mail on Route 1. When he died the routes were consolidated.
E. L. Sampson was postmaster when Ike Renshaw was appointed, and the post office was where Ceramics & Crafts Unlimited is now. The Atlas of Muscatine County printed in 1899 shows the ost office in the building which houses Elder Implement Company’s office, at the corner of Railroad Street and Ijem Avenue. E. J. Stafford was postmaster, according to that book.
In 1936 the office was moved to “Dr. Muench’s building,” which was located where the Catfish Place is now. The building burned after the post office was moved. W. R. Schmitt was postmaster at this time.
Miriam Renshaw Benhagel remembers that Ike had two cars, a good car and one for muddy roads. She says that no one ever charged Ike to pull him out when he got stuck. Big problems for Ira were bad roads, muddy roads and tire shortages during World War II. Dr. Muench and Ike kept their cars in the heated Mils Garage at night during the winter. If Dr. Muench had a night call, he’d use Ike’s car if it was handiest.
In 1922 Ike sometimes used a metal horse drawn cart, which had a kerosene heater. One day the heater tipped. Ike saved the mail, but the wagon burned.
The first lease for the post office at its present location is dated 2 February 1955. The building was owned by Anna Hallock. Raymond Porter bought it from her estate. He owned it until 1983, when he sold it to Bill Newton.
Robert Chown was a substitute rural carrier for more than 50 years. He was “appointed” when he was 16 years old, the occasion being that he was available when no one else was there one day, and he was asked to do the job. At his retirement dinner, Ralph Schmitt told that when Ike Renshaw died suddenly, Bob Chown suggested that Ralph, who was working at Chown Appliance at the time, would be a good man for the job since Bob did not wish to do it regularly. So for many years, Ralph carried the mail in the morning and worked at Chown Appliance in the afternoon. Ralph said that Bob would often call the post office before he left on the route, asking him to stop on the way to “see what was the matter with the furnace” of someone on the route, saving a trip to the country later in the day.
For many years, the post office personnel changed with the political parties. Later, people changed their party affiliations if they wanted to keep their job when the political climate changed, especially if no incoming party members had their eye on the position. Postmasters were appointed by the President of the United States, so sometimes someone would be “acting” postmaster for a long time before the presidential appointment was achieved. All of the postmasters who served in Nichols apparently served honorably and with integrity. Many are mentioned in various other records as being upstanding leaders in the community.
Many postmasters served as clerks for many years before becoming postmaster. Anna Schmitt, Edna Hesser, DeWayne Rosenfield, Helen Tatge, Cressie Sutton and Charlie Howe are mentioned in the records. Robert Hillyer and Gerry Hillyer were both clerks at one time, also Grace Borgsadt. Alice Hillyer began her first stint as clerk on 2 May 1955, Cressie Sutton’s first day was 14 October 1956 and Mary Carter started working in Nichols on 28 October 1975. She transferred to West Liberty Post Office for a couple of years before her appointment as postmaster in 1978.
Cressie Sutton retired as postmaster in 1977, at the same time that Ralph Schmitt retired as rural carrier. Since there were several routes in the area which were too short for a full day’s work, it seemed a good time for a general shuffle. This resulted in the Nichols rural route being divided into two “intermediate” routes. A carrier from Lone Tree delivers the west and south portion of the area, Route 1, and a carrier from West Liberty does the east and north, Route 2. They pick up their Nichols mail in the Nichols Post Office, deliver it and return to their “head out” office after finishing the delivery.
Don Oxley, from West Liberty, does the Route Two portion. Maynard Johnson, and Jo Noble after he retired, was the substitute. Florence Doerres, from Lone Tree, started the intermediate arrangement on Route One. Herb Schnoebelen, followed by Vida Wollrab, continued after Florence retired. Vernie Dvorak is Vida’s substitute.
Kenneth Brayton, city mail carrier from West Liberty, served as Officer-in-Charge between the time of Cressie Sutton’s retirement on 30 December 1977 and the appointment of Mary E. Carter as Postmaster on 26 July 1978.
Information received from the National Archives in Washington, DC, gives us the following official list of postmasters of the office located at Nichols:
Postmasters ~ Dates of Appointments
Photos:B. F. Nichols ~ 14 Oct 1870
Franklin Gilbert ~ 28 Apr 1881
Charles F. Smith ~ 5 Sep 1882
Henry I. Verink ~ 21 May 1883
John W. Lendrum ~ 9 Jul 1885
Noah P. White ~ 30 Nov 1889
Edward J. Stafford ~ 6 Apr 1893
John E. Hesser ~ 12 Feb 1901
Arnold A. Brugman ~ 30 Nov 1914
Anna H. Schmitt ~ 3 Apr 1918 (declined)
Elizabeth M. Doran ~ 22 Apr 1918 (declined)
Edward L. Sampson ~ 13 Mar 1919
Emma L. Sampson ~ 31 Oct 1923 (acting)
Miss Edna Hesser ~ 1 Dec 1923
William R. Schmitt ~ 17 March 1932
DeWayne C. Rosenfield ~ 30 Apr 1951 (assumed charge) - 12 Jul 1951 (acting)
Helen E. Tatge ~ 31 Oct 1951 (assumed charge) - 11 Dec 1951 (acting)
Charles H. Howe ~ 27 Mar 1952 (confirmed) - 28 Jun 1972 (retired)
Cressie J. Sutton ~ 28 Jun 1972 (officer in charge) - 14 Oct 1972 (appointed) - 30 Dec 1977 (retired)
Kenneth Brayton ~ 30 Dec 1977 (officer in charge)
Mary E. Carter ~ 15 Jul 1978 (appointed)
~ Old vehicle 1935-1936: Ike on mail route near Bill Kirkpatrick’s in Johnson county. – page 13.
~ Front of post office. – page 13.
~ Post Office, Summer – 1926: Post Office was in the present Elder Implement building – telephone (Central) office was in the rear. Pictured are Clifford Hesser, Assistant Post Master; Edna Hesser, Postmaster; Fred Hummel, Route 1, and Ira Renshaw, Route 2. – page 15Newspaper clipping: 1 August 1951- page 15
Ralph Schmitt To Begin Mail Carrier Duties
Nichols – Ralph Schmitt will begin duties Aug. 13 as a rural mail carrier in the Nichols area. He received his appointment Monday morning in a letter from the Postmaster General. --- Schmitt will carry mail on route 1 out of Nichols. The route is 45 miles long and covers the territory near Nichols in Muscatine and Johnson counties. Schmitt is a navy veteran of World War II, and a life long resident of the Nichols area.Newspaper clipping: 27 April 1951 - page 14
William R. Schmitt, Nichols Postmaster, Plans to Retire
Lines under photo read: Staff of the Nichols post office is shown in this Journal photo. The persons shown are the following: Albert Chown, mail messenger; Jack Ziegler, Lone Tree star route carrier; Paul Johnson, star route carrier, Columbus Junction to West Liberty; Mrs. Anna B. Schmitt, war emergency clerk; William R. Schmitt, retiring after 15 years as postmaster; Charles Howe, classified clerk, and Bob Chown, temporary rural carrier.
Nichols – Another chapter is closing in the busy life of William R. Schmitt when he retires as postmaster of Nichols Monday. Mr. Schmitt served in the post for the past 15 years, and he will be succeeded by Dwayne C. Rosenfield.
“Retired” is a term that seemingly will never be applied to the 73 years old life resident of Nichols. At a time when many men would be living on past accomplishments, he is starting a new enterprise. An insurance and real estate business will be opened by him.
Among his many records in public life and fraternal work are the following:
Membership in the constitution and by-laws committee of the National Assn. of Postmasters in Iowa; township clerk for 34 years; town councilman for 28 years; secretary of the Nichols independent school district for 34 years;
Pike township district secretary for 18 years; membership in the county board of education for 12 years; member of the county board of conciliation for 12 years;
Secretary of the Nichols lodge No. 664 of the I.O.O.F. for 20 years; treasurer of Stainless lodge No. 445, A. F. & A. M. for 10 years, and clerk of camp No. 4195 of the Modern Woodmen of America for 16 years.
As a town councilman he saw the institution of electric power in Nichols. He was instrumental in the construction of the town building and served on the council which approved gravelling the streets of Nichols.
The drainage and water system was instituted in Nichols when Mr. Schmitt was on the council.
Nichols cemetery received a renovation during his period on the cemetery council when he proved himself instrumental in receiving federal WPA aid.
A past president of the Nichols Mutual Telephone Co., Mr. Schmitt is currently a stockholder in the organization.
His business experience is varied. He has been in both the implement and grocery sales business. His early years were spent upon a farm.
He attended the public schools in Nichols, the Muscatine Normal school and Valparaiso (Indiana) university from which he was graduated in 1900. After leaving school he taught for five years and was active in school management.
He also is a member of the Rebekah lodge. He joined the lodge in Vaparaiso, Indiana, and transferred to the Bridgeman lodge No. 14 on May 18, 1900, just eight days after it was instituted.
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Page created January 10, 2011 by Lynn McCleary