History: Post Office - Friendly Argument (20 Aug. 1942)

Contact: Crystal Wendt
Email: crystal@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Felser, Scherer, Ure, McCain, Kearns, Warlum, Zimmerman, Dudley, Huntley, Boardman, King, Blakeslee, Tompkins, Carpenter, Manley, Hutchinson, Ferguson, Campbell, Carr, Reitz, Ring, Reitz, Martin, Brown, Kurth

----Sources: The Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) 20 Aug. 1942

Post Office ‘Case’ Is Settled by Judge, Who Came Here In 1881

Friendly Argument Drags In Clerk, Treasurer Before Ure Makes Decision A friendly argument regarding the location of an early day post-office, between Joe Felser and Nick Scherer last Friday, grew in momentum until it resembled a lively court case, especially so since it took place just without the court chambers and involved, beside the originators of the discussion, the city clerk, the treasurer, and a member of the city police force.

Mr. Felser remembered that an early day post office was located in the building now occupied by the Kearns’ Drug Store. Scherer argued that he didn’t remember a post office in that building and being older than Felser, he should know.

After a round or two of ‘twere’s and ‘twant’s, the Judge himself was brought ‘out’, Judge Ure, who came here in 1881 from the town of Lynn, Clark County, Wisconsin,, to attend high school decided in favor on the post office question runs about like this.

A frame building which stood where the McCain store now is located, served as a grocery store and post office in the early 70’s and up to about 1882. After that the date the local mail was received and dispatched in a combination shoe store and post office, now, known as the Kearns building; then in the Odd Fellow building where it was carried on in connection with a printing office and later in a frame building which stood where the P. M. Warlum building now holds forth. From then on, the post office had a home al its own in buildings now known as the Benson Hardware, Zimmerman Bros. Store, and the Schoengarth building and lastly the new government building.

Memory of older residents now residing here, could give no information on post office locations farther back, but an historical record states that the first post office was established under the name of Clark Court House in 1855. The name of the office was changed to Neillsville, October 6, 1856.

During the 87 years since its establishment, the Neillsville post office has been served by seventeen postmasters, two of whom served twice and a third, A. E. Dudley, acted for a time following the death of William Huntley.

The postmasters and their terms of service are given here with:

Samuel C. Boardman, Oct. 6, 1856

George W. King, July 17, 1857

Chauncey Blakeslee, Dec. 23, 1858

William C. Tompkins, May 2, 1860

Charles W. Carpenter, April 11, 1863

Andrew J. Manley, Nov. 28, 1865

William T. Hutchinson, September 11, 1867

James. W. Ferguson, June 22, 1871

William Campbell, July 1, 1882

Isaac T. Carr, August 2, 1886

Frederick Reitz, September 9, 1890

William Huntley, December 11, 1894

Llewellyn B. Ring, January 7, 1899

Frederick Retiz, March 18, 1903

Arthur E. Dudley, April 19, 1906

William Huntley, July 23, 1915

Arthur E. Dudley, Acting, July 1, 1919

Anton C. Martin, May 28, 1920

Benjamin J. Brown, September 30, 1929

Louise W. Kurth, January 30, 1934