The first Post Office, established in 1852, was located in the Store on the Corner, just up the hill from the steamboat dock. It was the perfect location for receiving all the mail and news on the island. It was for many years the only store on the island.
The Post Office was moved to Elfer’s Store on Division Street in 1885.
In 1890 the island undertaker, William Burger, bought Elfer’s building and converted the Post Office addition into a mortuary.
The new building was built by Gustavis Kelley and is now the Village Pump.
In 1938 the Post Office moved to The General Store (formerly Burger’s) on Division St., then owned by Frank J. Reinheimer.
But not everyone was happy with having the Post Office in a store so when it made this last move, a separate room was built to accommodate it.
Finally in 1974 the Post Office moved out of the downtown area to a building on West Lakeshore, shared with the Hancock Wood Electric Co-op. At that time, it was close to the only ferry dock on the island, owned by the Neuman Boat Line.
The mail was delivered by steamer during the navigation season and by ironclad boat, affectionately known as the Monitor, in the winter. For a fee, parcels, freight and passengers could go along. Having strong passengers aboard was desirable, particularly if the boat got stuck or someone went through the ice. The dangers of crossing the ice alone were many. Each winter there were stories about the close brushes with death these intrepid winter mail carriers and their passengers experienced. It is hard to imagine a more dangerous or uncomfortable job than that done by these men. They even had to bid for the job. On the other hand, the Post Masters themselves were political appointments, made by the President. The Post Master job was not very lucrative as the occasional reports showed.
Transporting the mail in an open boat might make for some soggy letters, but very few bags were lost or damaged. Even today, when islanders order medications or catalog items, they request that those items be sent by U. S. Mail. Freight can be held up for days, but the Mail always comes through with the only delays being caused by dense fog or freezing rain.
The mail carriers often had to wade through frigid water to deliver the mail and freight. If you were a passenger on the mail boat, you were expected to help if the boat got stuck in the ice. The brave mail carriers could push, pull, row, pike, pole or with the later addition of a mast, sail across the lake to pick up and deliver the mail to the island. This was difficult and very dangerous work. The carriers were not particularly well paid and had to rely on paying passengers and freight to supplement their income. Even when the weather was so bad that crossing was virtually impossible, people still grumbled about not getting their mail. The ironclad was kept in service until airplanes began landing on the island.
At one time, Post Masters were political appointments subject to the winds of political power. Former Postmasters include:
May 13, 1852 George Kelley
June 3, 1854 Wm. S. Webb
Feb. 6, 1868 Alfred S. Kelley
Feb. 6, 1872 Erastus Huntington
Aug. 4, 1885 Fred Elfers
Aug. 10, 1889 Edward Ward
Aug. 18, 1893 Anton Duysing
May 20, 1896 Nellie Duysing
March 4, 1899 James Pellet
March 9, 1900 Nellie Duysing
March 16, 1900 James Hamilton
Feb. 26, 1914 Patrick H. Murphy
Aug, 9, 1915 Frank J. Reinheimer (Acting) appointed Nov. 2, 1915
July 21, 1928 Ida S. Reinheimer (Acting) appointed Dec. 20, 1928
Feb. 1, 1931 Wm. M. Schnittker [after Ida Reinheimer resigned]
July 10, 1935 Frank J. Lange (Died Jan. 19. 1937)
Jan. 22, 1937 Stella Lange (resigned Jan. 25, 1937)
Jan. 29, 1937 Miss Virginia Lange, reappointed several times,
Jan 24, 1948 Mrs. Virginia Keefer (name changed by marriage)
April 1, 1948 Howard W. Brown
November 25, 1972 Mrs. Elizabeth M. Martin
March 26, 1977 Geraldine Betzenheimer
October 9, 1999 Jean A. Boyd
May 2015 Chrissy Maust
