Bank and post office buildings at Diagonal in January 2007
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
BY MIKE AVITT
Last year, I wrote an article stating the post office building in Diagonal was built in 1919. That was my error; the Diagonal Post Office building was erected in 1925. The post office did move to the east side of Broadway Street in 1919, but not to the building in this week’s photo. Let’s look at what I have on the Diagonal Post Office.
In April 1902, two more rural routes were added to the Diagonal Post Office raising the total to four. In March 1903, the post office was located to the middle room of the Ostrander & Fogle building.
The post office moved into a new building in 1919. I believe this building was about half a block south of the current location. New fixtures were purchased for this move and the post office boxes now had combination locks rather than keyed locks. The lobby was secured so that patrons could get to their boxes after hours.
The Knowlton Post Office closed in April 1921 and the single rural route out of that office was added to the Diagonal Post Office giving it five rural routes. Rural route operators were given time off for Christmas 1923, the first time that had occurred since the routes began.
The building that is occupied by the Diagonal Post Office today was completed very late in 1925. On December 31, 1925, equipment began to be moved to the “building recently completed for First National Bank (the bank next door)” from the Crawford building.
The new building had windows on the south side for added light and also boasted a lavatory and furnace. Postmaster Dickens had the stamp, money order, and delivery windows facing the entrance with the lock boxes on the north wall. The new post office added greatly to the east side of Broadway Street.
The Diagonal Post Office has called this building home for over 90 years!
