Delaware

ADDRESS: 2 Commerce St, Harrington, DE 19952
ARTIST: Eve Salisbury
TITLE: Men Hoeing
MEDIUM: Wax Tempera (mural)
STATUS: The Harrington post office is still an active, operating facility, and the mural can be viewed by interested members of the public. It resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1941

When I arrived in Harrington, the sun was behind the building making the images come out darker see below. I decided to circle back around in the afternoon for a better image of the front side of the building. This strategy worked out great.

The dedication plaque inside of this one is the larger size you often see in larger buildings. Of course I had to photograph it, but the retail display case was in the way. I was careful to move the display, take my photograph and get on with my day.

My only gripe about this one is the white Lexus off to the right, that apparently was not going to move anytime soon. This forced me to get angle shots with out the car in front. You can see a little of the car in some of the images, but for the most park I was able to get an un-obstructed photograph.

The plaque out in front of the building reads:

FIRST RURAL FREE DELIVERY ROUTE

For many years the National Grange and other organizations interested in the welfare of citizens residing in rural areas advocated the establishment of rural free delivery of mail. In  October 1896, the Post Office Department introduced experimental rural delivery in West Virginia. The new service was favorably received, and by June of the following year there were forty-four routes in operation in twenty-nine states.

On October 3, 1898, rural free delivery of mail in Delaware was initiated with the formal establishment of a route originating in Harrington. Joseph G. Peckman was appointed to servers carrier for the circuit, with an annual salary of $300. The route was seventeen and one quarter miles in length.

Approximately 600 families were served.

The establishment of the rural free delivery service resulted in the elimination of many small rural post offices. In 1902 alone, twenty-nine were closed in Delaware. By 1938, some 23,000 offices had been discontinued throughout the United States since the introduction of rural delivery.

Delaware Public Archives – 1998

David W. Gates Jr.

Sources

• Personal visit on 8/14/21 about 9:15 AM & 3:21 PM by David W. Gates Jr.
• (affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover]  Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
• United States Postal Service