Rural Mail Delivery

Editor’s note: Roberta Roland Hagood and her husband, J. Hurley Hagood, moved back to Hannibal to retire in the mid 1970s. Their first venture into recording Hannibal’s history took place with the publication of “The Story of Hannibal, A Bicentennial History, 1976.” In the years that followed, the Hagoods produced a number of local and regional works recording the past. Hurley died in November 2002, and Roberta now resides at Hannibal’s Willow Care Center. She wrote this story, which is compiled from accounts in the Hannibal Morning Journal newspaper, for the Courier-Post.

The United States Postal Services touches the lives of many U.S. citizens in cities, counties and states. It links county governments to state governments, and ultimately, its message may reach Washington, D.C.
The postal service itself does not build roads, but it operates across long distances. If we were asked to determine the advantage of the coming of Rural Main Delivery, the telephone, the home radio or the coming of television to the home, we could state that these innovations would make rural life better, and reduce the isolation of country life.
At an early date in the 1850s, the Pony Express carried mail by horse relay. Five hundred horses were purchased, and many stations were founded. The Pony Express was in operation for 18 months, from April 1860 to October 1861. The transcontinental telegraph came into use and the Pony Express was discontinued. The route used by the riders was from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento, Calif.
In earlier years, before the advent of railroad transportation, the Hannibal inhabitants were required to secure their mail when a boat arrived at the riverfront. Then, news was scanned and shared by all, as early as city people received their copies of newspapers, letters, etc.
If we compare the earlier way of sending and receiving messages and supplies into rural homes we feel very fortunate about the changes. The so-called mail wagon, drawn by horses, did not compare to the speed and comfort of the automobile of a later day.
In 1996, an old mail wagon was pictured on the 32-cent postage stamp, with the important title above the picture, “Rural Free Delivery” and the initials “RFD” a part of the design.
Rural subscribers of the Hannibal Journal in 1901 learned if they would establish a mail box by the road side, mail would be delivered there. This mail would contain their copy of the Hannibal Morning Journal, which published Hannibal city news and rural Hannibal news daily. Postmaster Alger supplied the Hannibal Journal with a list of country people who had established mail boxes by the roadside at the entrance of their lanes, eager for the start of the new service.
Having left the post office at the hour of 7:15 in the morning, the carrier learned how to “time” his route at an unbelievable rate. He would have arrived, at his return, to Hannibal, then sort and tie the out-going letter mail and get it to the railroad depot in time to see that the mail was on the appropriate train to St. Louis, Chicago, St. Paul, Kansas City, Denver and other cities. Fortunately, Hannibal was a center for several railroads.
The first day of RFD mail service was a “red letter” day for the rural folk. The rural mail carrier, Mr. Tom B. Jeffries, left on time, a 7:15 a.m. departure, in the regulation mail wagon. It was an historic event, everything in order for the exciting trip. Riding with Jeffries in the mail wagon were Parks C. Archer, city editor of the Morning Journal, and John F. Stichman, Morning Journal artist. (John Stichman would take snapshots with his latest model of a camera – choosing interesting subjects to get the proper shots.) At Withers Mill, Frank Smarr joined others. They would reach the turnoff at West Ely Road by noon. At this point stood the large house of Col. Joseph E. Rowe. His household staff had prepared a sumptuous noon day feast for the men arriving in the mail wagon, to celebrate the importance of the event. Judge Rowe had, in advance, sent his household staff to the farm a day ahead to be sure the hospitality was the finest possible, and the food the best that could be prepared in that season. The historic date of this “day of days” was Feb. 15, 1901.
Incidentally, the farmhouse of Judge Rowe near the west Ely turn off had been a place of historic action in the Civil War in former years. The southern troops were in that area, making the presence of any northern person dangerous. A young doctor, Dr. Lamb, who lived on Sixth Street and Center Street corner in Hannibal, was in the West Ely area calling on a young female friend, and the southern troops came there to capture him. In those days, the farm people had fruit trees in all areas of the farm. Dr. Lamb needed a safe hiding place. It was a custom to raise asparagus in the ground underneath the fruit trees. The fern of the asparagus plans grew so high, a person could hide in it. This hiding place afforded the chance for the doctor to be safe from the enemy. His life was saved as the troops left without finding him in this hiding place. The story of this incident was often told in later years.
The Rowe family, through the years, sometimes stayed at the farm, and lived in Hannibal at times. The turn off at West Ely Road, and other side roads, are places often referred to in Hannibal history and stories.
The families who had placed boxes on the rural route were listed in the Morning Journal as follows:
John McGregor; Henry Simms, William J. Weatherby; George W. Pine; John Rubison, Silas Nunn, G.W. Houke, Mrs. C.Y. Meredith, William Robbins, William A. Goodrich, Norman J. Lear, W.H. Donnellson, Frank S. Gregory, Mrs. L. Gregory, J.E. Gregory, Jasper Turner, T.M. Turner, John Minor, William Maupin, E.S. Pickett, John M. Turner, J.T. Miller, J.W. Whaley, J.E. Whaley, K.O. Gentry, Asa James, Thomas Foreman, F.L. Smarr, Mrs. M. Smarr, R.H. Neale, T.E. Booker, T.W. King, F.C. Lehenbauer, John Kruse, James McLeary, L. Beales, C.C. Dudley, E. Brinkar, G. Frankenbach, M.S. Taggart, H. Mithofer, J.H. Peiter, J.H. Peiter Jr., J.E. Rowe, F.A. Lehenbauer, C.H. Peiter, H. Mahsmann, W.M. Schacktisic, G.H. Lehenbauer, John McReynolds, S.H. Turner, J.L. Piersol, W.J. Boren, Henry Boren,  W.A. Mason, Chas. Mason, A. Olson, J.O Atkins, J.W. Neale, Orion Turner, Stephen Glascock, Daniel Ashmore, Mr. Abernathy, Prof. Glasgow, Dr. Vernette, Mrs. Jos. Schoknecht, Settles Brothers, Mrs. T. Shepherd, Fred Atkins, E.C. Shepherd, J.B. Shepherd, W.F. Chamberlain, R.H. Gould, T.C. Lippincott, Mrs. Eliza Lear, H.W. Rightmire, William Ourtise, Albert Lane, Manely Gore, Rev. Neutzel, A.J. Brown, C.H. Peiter,  G.H. Lehenbauer, W.F. Brown, Wm. C. Glascock, C.F. Raioum, and Stephen Glascock.
(The name of Dr. Vernette reminds us that he founded a sanitarium in the large white building on the hilltop, visible from the present highway crossroads on U.S. 61)
The route covered 25 miles and included Withers Mill, West Ely and Whiteledge. The route passed through townships of Mason, Miller and South River in Marion County. To make mail service complete, there were to be four United States mail collection boxes. They were located as follows: Schoknecht’s store on St. Mary’s Avenue, West Ely Road about one and a half miles east of West Ely, and J.W. Neale’s farm near Whiteledge. The location of the fourth box had not been decided when the announcement of the other three was made.
The mail route extended from Hannibal out West Ely gravel road to West Ely; thence south to Joseph Rowe’s farm; thence along this road to and over the Centerville Road to Ash Mason’s farm. Thence along the road via Bear Creek to William Robbins’ farm, thence back over the West Ely Road into Hannibal.
An excerpt from the February 1901 Morning Journal story of the RFD startup:
“The Journal artist was kept busy during the entire trip, and the news obtained include pictures of the home of Daniel Ashmore where the first delivery was made; residence of Settles Brothers. W.F. Chamberlain, John B. Shepherd, Claude Dudley, Mrs. K.C. Gentry, Stephen Glascock, Samuel Withers; views of Colonel Joseph E. Rowe’’ farm; the post office and W.F. Tetterman’s store at Withers Miller; German school and district school at West Ely; post office at West Ely, and a view of the town of West Ely.”
A total of 256 pieces of mail were delivered on the first day. “The first delivery was made at the residence of Daniel Ashmore of St. Mary’s avenue and the last at the pretty home of Colonel Ash James on the Centerville road.”