Post+Office

**Washington County Post Offices**
"This was the first PO extablished in Washington County, and it was appropriately named for the river which drains most of the county. The word is a local Indian word meaning 'lazy or sluggish', and describes the rivers flow. This pioneer PO was located just south of Forest Grove." (Helbock)
 * **Place** || **History** || **Postmasters** ||
 * **Forest Grove** (Formerly Tualatin, & West Tuality Plains) || __Tualatin__:

__Tuality Plains__: "Estab. 14 Mar 1851 Dis. 6 Jan 1853. The early settlements at Forest Grove and Hillsboro were once called West and East tualatin Plains respectively. This PO was in exstence for over 21 months at a locality near present-day Forest Grove. Alvin T. Smith, Ist PM. It appears that the pioneer Tualatin PO was somewhat east of here in 1851. When Alvin T. Smith became PM of Tualatin, this office was closed." (Helbock)

__Forest Grove__: "Estab. 31 Dec 1858. Was Tualatin. Named for the 1846 land claim of J. Quinn Thortin, this young community grew up around Tualatin Academy, now Pacific University. Located 6 miles west of Hillsboro. Joseph C. Rafferty, 1st PM." (Helbock) "Named in honor of Robert Banks, pioneer local settler...In 1907, the Greenville post office was moved north a few miles to the site of the closed Banks office. Local residents petitioned to have the name changed to Banks." (NewsTimes / Helbock) || Ewell T. Turner, first postmaster. || (//News-Times//, Forest Grove Ore., July 9, 1970; see also Helbock's //Oregon Post Offices, 1847-1982)//
 * __Forest Grove Station No. 1__: "Estab. 1 Dec 1962 as CNSTA. Dis. 1 Mar 1969. Located at 2315 Pacific Avenue." (Helbock) || See chart below. ||
 * **Thatcher** || Established on Aug 3, 1895, discontinued on Sept 15, 1902 and its mail thereafter sent to Forest Grove. Named for Harmon and Jemima Thatcher, pioneer settlers of the northeast slope of David Hill. Located about 3 miles northwest of Forest Grove. (NewsTimes) || Thomas Clark (Aug 3, 1895) and Alexander J. Raymond (Nov 4, 1897). ||
 * **Banks** || Established Jan 21, 1902, discontinued on Dec 3, 1904, reestablished on April 25, 1907, was Greenville.
 * **Banks** || Established Jan 21, 1902, discontinued on Dec 3, 1904, reestablished on April 25, 1907, was Greenville.
 * **Carnation** (Formerly South Forest Grove) || Established on May 20, 1905, discontinued on April 20, 1906. Reestablished on Nov 4, 1914, was South Forest Grove, discontinued on June 30, 1933. "Located just south of Forest Grove near the condensing plant of the Carnation Milk Products Co. The PO was in a store operated by Clarence L. Bump, and was called the Carnation Store." (NewsTimes / Helbock) || Clarence L. Bump, Mrs. L.F. Bouthillier (1921-1932) ||
 * **Cherry Grove** || May 8, 1912 - March 31, 1973. Located in the grocery store owned by Carl Brostrom and George Forsberg. Moved to Frid's grocery on First Street when he became postmaster in 1917. Durand moved the PO to his grocery in 1963, where the original location was, then in 1967 he moved it to its final location on Third Street. "Gone now are the days when local residents gathered at the post office to discuss the weather, school, church, and other community events while mail was being distributed." (NewsTimes / Helbock) || Carl Brostrom (1912-), Nels M. Ohling, August Frid (1917-1937), Mrs. Carl Olson (nee Lillian Swanson) (1937-38), John A. Pearson (1938-1963), L.P. "Pat" Durand (1963-1969), Katy Dehart (1970-1971), Loreata Gilbert (1971-1973). ||
 * **Verboort** || "Estab. 23 Dec 1893. Rescinded: 17 May 1894. Estab. 30 Jan 1902. Dis. 31 Oct 1903. Re-estab. 18 Jun 1914. Dis. 15 Sep 1919. Mail to Forest Grove. Named for William Verboort, prominent local landowner. Located two miles northeast of Forest Grove. The Blanchet post office operated in this locality for a few months in 1898." (Helbock) || Willam A. Van Der Velden, first postmaster. Louis A. LeMiller (June 18, 1914) and John A. Herb (June 20, 1915). ||
 * **Dilley** || "Estab. 31 Dec 1973. Dis. 12 July 1887. Re-estab. 6 Jun 1889. Dis. 26 May 1961. Mail thereafter to Forest Grove. Located 2 miles south of Forest Grov eon the Southern Pacific RR. Named for Milton E. Dilley, pioneer local settler." (Helbock) || James Chamberlain, first postmaster. ||

Forest Grove Postmasters (1850-1967)
(//News-Times//, Forest Grove Ore., July 9, 1970)
 * **Name** ||  |||| **Date Appointed** || **Location (per EGS)** ||
 * David Hill ||  |||| Feb 1, 1850 || **1842-1845**: "Carnation postal station" in a log cabin. ||
 * Alvin T. Smith ||  |||| Jan 6, 1853 ||   ||
 * Joseph C. Rafferty ||  |||| Dec 31, 1858 ||   ||
 * Ashba L. Johnson ||  |||| Dec 16, 1859 ||   ||
 * Darius Smith ||  |||| May 28, 1861 ||   ||
 * Charles A. Reynolds ||  |||| Sept 3, 1867 ||   ||
 * N. Edward Goodell ||  |||| March 30, 1870 || **1870s**: "A stage brought mail and passengers in from Portland twice weekly to the post office of the 1870s located on north Main street opposite the Congregational church block." ||
 * W.D. Hoxter ||  |||| Dec 23, 1873 ||   ||
 * Mrs. Minerva McCreary ||  |||| June 5, 1874 || **1874**: "In General Merchandise Store" ||
 * William H. Saylor ||  |||| Sept 23, 1875 ||   ||
 * Arvid Hinman ||  |||| July 28, 1876 ||   ||
 * Amos H. Hampton ||  |||| May 25, 1881 ||   ||
 * Thomas Frazier ||  |||| Jan 9, 1884 || **1884**: 2022 Main ||
 * John R. Griffin ||  |||| May 28, 1885 ||   ||
 * William H. Crosley ||  |||| March 26, 1889 || **1892**: 1921 21st ||
 * J. Wheelock Marsh ||  |||| Feb 19, 1896 || **1902**: 2017 21st ||
 * Homer C. Atwell ||  |||| Jan 20, 1908 ||   ||
 * Wilbur W. McEldowney ||  |||| Jan 20, 1909 ||   ||
 * W.B. Haines ||  |||| Dec 13, 1909 ||   ||
 * Charles Hines ||  |||| Jan 11, 1912 || **1912**: 2021 21st ||
 * Robert P. Wirtz ||  |||| Feb 7, 1916 ||   ||
 * Frederick D. Gardner ||  |||| June 30, 1924 || **1920-1935**: 16 S. Main ||
 * Edwin Allen ||  |||| June 30, 1933 || **1935-55**: 2038 Pacific ||
 * Hugh T. Smith ||  |||| May 1, 1945 ||   ||
 * Richard A. King ||  |||| April 30, 1962 || **1955-Present**: 1822 21st Ave ||
 * David C. Fuiten ||  |||| Sept 7, 1967 ||   ||


 * Mail Service in the 1920s**

"Roy Phelps, the genial and accommodating young stage man and mail carrier from Glenwood to Forest Grove via Gales Creek, is one of the busiest men we know of. His stage goes out from here daily loaded to the limit with mail, freight, express and humans. Many of the latter are on pleasure bent, seeking the camping facilities of the great outof-doors along the way and above Glenwood. Besides delivering the mail to the patrons along the way Roy does a thousand and one little favors for the people, such as bring them out, buying their money orders, marketing their butter and eggs, fruits, vegetables, etc. His is patient good natured, jolly and likeable, and is making Uncle Sam a good carrier, always promptly on the job every day in the week." --//Washington County News Times//, Aug 25, 1921

See also:
 * 1) "Post Office Oldest Public Service," //News-Times//, 9/22/1949.
 * 2) "Bold Burglars Loot Post Office," //F.G. Express//, 2/15/1917.


 * Additional History of the Post Office: By Jessie Sweeney**

====Before 1850 the nearest Post Office was located in Weston, Missouri, 2000 miles away, with routes to Oregon those such as “Oregon City up the Willamette to Kalamath River in the direction of San Francisco.” (News-Times 9/22/1949). ==== ====As of 1949 the Forest Grove Post Office had been called by several different names located in at least 7 different buildings. The oldest post office was started February 1st, 1850 for Washington County “Located just south of the present Forest Grove site, the office was known as Tualatin and served residents of this area which was called Tualatin plains.” The post office’s first home was a log house with no electricity. “According to Stephen Blank, one of the oldest residents in Forest Grove, the postoffice was first maintained in a log house hear the S.P. depot in 1850.” (NewsTimes 4/6/ 1911, Collection location 2-2-1), and was ran by David Hill. In the 1860’s it was run in the same building as a stationary store owned by Charles Reynolds. Other locations where the post office operated included a log house on the old Ward property, a grocery store on Main Street, as well as several others. ==== ====The station was discontinued in 1852 and reopened the following year with early settler Alvin T. Smith as postmaster, where it was operated out of Smith’s home. ==== ====W.C. News 9/7/1905: “The postoffice was moved last Thursday night and the following morning the large mails were handled with the same promptness as before, and the inconvenience to the public did not show itself. Forest Grove now has a postoffice second to none, in the second class, and it is all due to the enterprise of Mr. Atwell and his efficient clerks.” ==== ====For a list of Forest Grove Postmasters from 1850 to 1967 and the dates of their appointments, see item 2-2-4 in the Stewart Collection “Post Office” folder. A possible article of interest telling some about many of the post office locations and the postmasters who ran them can be found at Box 2, Folder 2, Item 21. ====