Published: August 20, 2009 08:55 pm      

Scrapbook reveals history of post office

DAR finds book filled with local memorabilia

DUNCAN — The U.S. Postal Service is considering cost-cutting measures, including closing some post offices. Fortunately, the Duncan Post Office is not on the recently released “hit list,” but if it was ever closed and the building torn down, the cornerstone might reveal some interesting items.

Sherry Peck, regent of the Duncan Indian Territory Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, found an old DAR scrapbook recently that shed some light on the building of the local post office and the laying of its cornerstone. Mrs. G.R. Smith was instrumental in securing permission from Washington officials for the DAR to participate in the ceremonies seven decades ago.

According to clippings from The Banner found in the scrapbook, the Duncan federal building was begun in 1933. After construction began, a delay in the acquisition of building materials left the project on hold for 45 days — after all, those were the days of the Great Depression. About half of the stone needed for the building had arrived by late June, and J.J. Kell, representing the Fox-Kell Cut Stone Company of Lueders, Texas, which was supplying the stone, made a trip to Duncan to check on the progress of the job and see what else was needed for the project.

Contractors and their crews renewed their efforts, and cream-colored brick walls were rising on the west and east sides. By June 30, all the steel was up or was in place ready to be put up. At the same time, other organizations, including the Duncan DAR Chapter were working to stage a special ceremony — the laying of the buff limestone cornerstone weighing about 1,000 pounds, the accounts said.

At 6 p.m. that day, the stage was set and the American Legion had provided 25 chairs for the speakers, distinguished guests and DAR members. Freemont Williams set up a loudspeaker to broadcast the proceedings. The new Duncan Municipal Band started the festivities with a concert, then William McLaughlin, government engineer, introduced Mrs. E.E. Brown, DAR regent, and turned the microphone over to her. After the invocation by the Rev. Carl Covey, “a Christian minister,” according to the account, Brown read messages of regrets from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Sen. T.P. Gore, Lt. Gov. Robert Burns and Sen. Elmer Thomas, who had been invited to the ceremony but were unable to attend. Gov. William H. Murray, Rep. Jed Johnson and three members of the Legislature apparently attended the ceremony, as no mention was made of them sending regrets.

District Judge Eugene Rice gave the dedication address, recalling the first post office in Duncan in 1884 at the William Duncan store. He suggested that “people might receive greater realization of the permanence and importance of government by the new building.”

Frank Jones and L.A. Morton assisted in putting the cornerstone in place at the northeast corner of the building. Postmaster Ben F. Ridge then read a list of the documents and articles that were sealed into the metal box the stone contained.

Between 30 and 35 documents and articles of a historical nature had been compiled for the occasion. Histories of the city, the post office and organizations in Duncan were preserved in the box, with copies of the documents also being filed at the Duncan Public Library. Among the items were four old pictures of early Duncan donated by Daizy Fuqua, R.E. Sharp and Rudolph March, the newspaper account said.

At the completion of the cornerstone ceremony, there was still much to do to complete the building.

“They may be able to catch up so the postmaster can move into the building by Christmas,” McLaughlin said. “I doubt that they can, however.”

Contractors had until Feb. 5, 1934, to complete their tasks.

The building was completed in due time and stands today as a tribute to the hard work put into it so many decades ago. Though times are tough today, as they were in the era in which it was built, the post office continues to serve the Duncan community, and still flies the flag representing the heritage for which the ancestors of today’s DAR members fought so valiantly. The exterior of the building underwent repairs and resurfacing while Donnie Bain was postmaster. After serving 37 years, Bain retired in 2008 and was succeeded by Rodney Brooks.

“We are so proud that the DAR could play a role in Duncan’s history. Historical preservation is very important to us, and it’s nice to see that we were so involved in such a local project, too,” Peck said.