Chapter Twenty

Post Offices and Postmasters

Page 331

The first post office in Marion County was Yellville. It was established in 1831 and at that time was listed with Lebanon and Wiley's Cove as being in Searcy county. In 1836 when Arkansas was admitted to the Union, the county lines were re-established and Yellville became the county seat of Marion county. More information about Yellville will be given along with the seven post offices now serving the county in this Bicentennial year 1976.

Much information is revealed in the progress of the county as to transportation, industry, recreation, mining, agriculture, and forestry, when we take a historical look at the establishment and discontinuance of post offices. We also see politics as a prime source of change. "To the victor belonged the spoils" was common practice until the 1930's among Postmasters and some changes were made without orders from the Post Office Department. When the Postal Inspector arrived and found the office in balance, he would give the new Postmaster the "Oath of Office" and go on his way. A former businessman of Flippin, W. N. Christian, told of having bought a store and post office for four hundred dollars from a man who was in trouble with a neighbor. When the inspector arrived, he explained the situation and was accepted as postmaster.

We have many unusual names of post offices. The Maryhattieanna office was named for the three daughters of the owner of a store, mine, and newspaper. The office was established in 1899 and discontinued in 1902. W. A. Webber was the only postmaster serving this office.

Many new offices were established and discontinued during the one hundred forty years of history we have of the county. As soon as a store was opened in a new location, a post office was sure to be the next step in giving the people service in the community. Sometimes two stores in a location would be politically divided and the office would be changed with the election of a new congressman. Some stores could not stay open without the income from the post office and they would be discontinued. Someone would open the office later under a new name. This writer found in the research of records two of his grandfathers' names who had served as postmasters, F. G. Huddleston at Bruno and J. E. Wickersham at Yellville.