Sunday, April 27, 1997
Post Office to celebrate 90th birthday
MARYNEAL - Driving through Maryneal, the only business I could
find that looked open was the United States Post Office. That
was Thursday. The American flag was flapping noisily on its flagpole
chain high above the post office and the surrounding countryside.
The flag pointed straight out to the north, toward Lone Star Industries,
Inc., the big cement manufacturing plant.
A sign posted on the small, old, native limestone building
said, Established 1907.
This is a Post Office that is not supposed to be here still.
About two years ago the U.S. Postal Service had threatened to
close the little Maryneal Post Office, but here it still is.
Inside acting postmaster Mary Foreman, 60, was busy sorting
mail behind the old service window.
"Nobody knows anything (about closing). I guess it has
been put on hold," she said. "We're trying to keep it
going and I do get a good bit of mail."
She has held the acting postmaster job for the past four years.
She thinks her title might still be "acting" after all
this time because of the still uncertain status of the Maryneal
Post Office.
The population of Maryneal is listed at 75. I told Foreman
that the reason I stopped was because I did not see any other
business that looked open.
"This is the only place that is open," she agreed,
and said because of that a lot of lost travelers stop in and ask
directions. "They (especially truckers) come out here with
very skimpy directions sometimes about how to get to places."
Foreman said that was no problem. A native of Maryneal, she
knows the directions to anywhere in the area.
An old clipping in our newspaper files dated April 8, 1951,
says the sign on the Post Office at that time said, "U.S.
Post Office. Maryneal, Texas (On Earth). Where Men Are Men. Founded
1907, Alt. 2,564 Ft. Voting Strength 99. Including Suburbs."
I did not see that sign. Nor did I see a similar sign that
the newspaper said was there on a filling station back in 1951.
That sign read, "Welcome to Maryneal (on earth). Where Men
Are Men. The City That Almost Died." Maybe I just overlooked
it.
As Foreman and I were talking a lady came in to buy stamps
and mail a letter. She and Foreman talked as though they had known
each other a long time. They discussed collecting stamps for their
grandchildren.
"I'll see you later, if this wind don't blow us off the
map," said the customer as she left, opening the door to
the howling gusts. "I think I may need to put some bales
of hay in my car just to hold it to the road," she added.
A bowl of candy sat on the service counter.
"The little bitty children, even the little one and two
year-olds, may not know my name, but they know I'm the lady who
has the candy," Foreman said.
She likes, she said, to liven the place up with a little celebrating
from time to time. For the past three years she has held an open
house for Halloween.
I asked her if she got dressed up in costume for the occasion.
"No, I haven't gone that far yet," she laughed.
Another celebration is coming up June 14, when the Maryneal
Post Office will celebrate the ninetieth year of its establishment.
Plans are for an open house, refreshments, and a special cancellation,
providing, of course, the post office is still here.
After 90 years it would be a shame if it weren't. A centennial
celebration in 10 years would be nice, too.
This column covers the cities and communities of this part
of West Texas. To contact Ken Ellsworth, call (800) 588-6397 or
(915) 673-4271, Ext. 381, or write to P.O. Box 30, Abilene, TX
79604.
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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