Lewisville Postmasters Plaque
After presenting a plaque honoring Lewisville's postmasters, John Craft spoke with the folks who had crowded into the Lewisville Post Office lobby for the presentation. (Left to right: William and Sherry Beasley, Merrikay Brown, Doris Hauser, John Craft)
Looking Back
When the Town of Lewisville celebrated its sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary at Shallowford Square in October 2009, the seed was planted then for the ceremony that took place this past Saturday (January 16, 2010) at the Lewisville Post Office.
John Craft, a retired letter carrier, was asked several years ago by the Lewisville Historical Society to research and present an exhibit on the history of the Lewisville Post Office at Lewisville’s Sesquicentennial Celebration. John agreed and began tackling the assignment with his usual optimistic zeal.
Assisting in the project were Della Mae Franklin, Duran Stimson, Mary Alice Warren, Laura Conrad Huffman and members of the Lewisville Historical Society. Their efforts helped piece together historical facts about Lewisville’s postal service — which began in 1861 — including a list of Lewisville’s postmasters, information on the various post office locations over the years, and the role that politics used to play in postmaster assignments. (For many years, postmasters were politically appointed, based on the incoming administration’s party affiliation.)
Lewisville Sesquicentennial Post Office Exhibit
By the time that Lewisville’s Sesquicentennial Celebration rolled around in October 2009, a 150th anniversary commemorative post office stamp had been created and was available at the post office exhibit so the public could have their letters, envelopes or postcards officially canceled by the stamp.
Post office memorabilia at the exhibit included other types of postal stamps, old photos, newspaper clippings and some of the old combination-lock mailboxes. Former Postmaster Della Mae Franklin and current Postmaster Michael Boone alternated manning the exhibit.
And at some point that day, the idea to create a postmasters plaque was born.
Plaque Presentation
With an estimated cost between $800 and $900, financial donations began coming in as John Craft shared the idea for the postmasters plaque. Former postmasters, officers-in-charge, other postal workers, and the widows, children and grandchildren of postal workers supported the project with their donations — as did the mayor, Town Council members and members of the Lewisville Historical Society.
On Saturday, January 16, 2010, John presented an attractive plaque engraved with the names and service periods of 37 Lewisville postmasters, from 1861 to the present — with room for 12 more.
About 40 former postal workers, their relatives and other Lewisville citizens gathered in the lobby of the Lewisville Post Office for the ceremony, which ended with the hanging of the plaque near the service counter.
Special thanks goes to Town Clerk Joyce Walker and to Lynn Hall, Lewisville’s Public Information Officer, for their assistance with the project.
Related Resources
- Clemmons Courier; Presidential politics once decided postmaster; Lynn Hall; December 31, 2009
- Lewisville’s Sesquicentennial Article and Photo Gallery
Photo Gallery
Please visit the Postmasters Plaque Ceremony photo gallery to view more photos of the ceremony and the plaque.
Wondered why there wasn’t a group picture made of the postmasters who were present at the presentation.
In hindsight, that would have been a good idea, Bettie. I simply didn’t think of it myself, and no one else brought it up. Too bad.