This is a picture of the U.S. Post Office employees in Oskaloosa. The post office was probably located, at that time, at the corner of A Avenue and Market Street. All the names were listed on the back of the photo, but it was not dated. The best guess is that it was taken in about 1950. This photo was a gift of the late Jane Esther Bass Kemp. Her father, Jim, was one of the postal window staff. Some will also remember James (Junior), who was Jane’s brother. They are both deceased.

Seated in the front row are Jerry Wood, Leighton Perry, Wilbur Bass and Tom Brown. Seated in the second row are George Bartlow, Frank Harper, Jim Bass, John Bradbury and E. White. Standing in the front row are Dale “Fat” Humphrey, ST. Clark, Chet Burdick, Cliff Peirson, Howard Baker, Harold Clark, L.L. Snyder, Fox, Cecil Macksey, Cory White, Ted Munsell, Bob Brock and Chas. Whitlach. Standing in the back row are Benson, Dan Corcoran, Ralph Kempenaar, John Cummings, Richard Robbins, Slim Morris, Louie Baak, Belzer, Earl Macksey, Clarence Barnes, W. Kempenaar and Phil Hughes.

Some folks had front porch mailbox delivery so they may have developed a fairly close relationship with their mail carrier. It seemed that he always brought interesting news from distant family or friends. It was sometimes happy and sometimes sad. For the younger members of the family, there was great anticipation while waiting for the postal service truck, with a big green box mounted on it, to arrive. The truck brought items too big for the regular mail. A girl may have ordered a doll or a boy a pair of boxing gloves from Sears-Roebuck and would wait impatiently on the front porch, each day, till the package would finally arrive. Those were the days.

— Chuck Russell