Our Past Is Present November 14, 2018

November 14, 2018

            This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.

            As the Kansas Frontier was pushed westward, the post office was always one of the first agencies established in a new settlement.  For what is now Geary County, the first post office was at Pawnee, the village that was started near Fort Riley, in 1855.  We had a story about that short-lived town in a previous program. However, because of the short-life of Pawnee, the post office was moved to Fort Riley. You may remember that Pawnee was actually on what is now Fort Riley.

            The first post office in Junction City was established in June of 1858. There had been various postmasters.  However in 1864, George W. Martin, editor of the “Junction City Union” newspaper, was appointed as the sixth postmaster in Junction City.  The location of the post office was moved to the building in which Martin lived. This was midway between 8^th and 9^th Streets on the east side of Washington Street. 

            The post office seemed to “meander” up and down Washington Street for the next several decades depending on the location of the residence or place of business of the serving postmaster.  By 1900, it was located at the 6^th and Washington corner of the Bartell House and it remained there until 1917 when R.B. Fegan built the structure just west of his telephone company building between Washington and Jefferson on West 6^th Street. 

            In 1930, ground was broken a few feet to the west of this building for Junction City’s first Post Office/Federal Building.  32 years later the present Post Office building was located at the corner of Adams and 7^th Streets. It was constructed in 1962. 

            And…. that’s today’s story on “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.