THE POST OFFICE
Until 1940 three Post offices serviced families and business here. They were
Machias Post Office, Machias Junction Post Office and Lime Lake Post Office.
The present post office here was opened in 1828 and has had twenty one post
master, beginning with Joseph Kinne, Jr. appointed Apri118, 1828 to the present
postmistress, Mrs. Agnes Weidinger.
The Machias post office, under the Federal Government, ended with
the termination of Mr. Frank Zarabski, longest serving postmaster in the history
of Machias , twenty three - years . Under the Federal Government , every time
the administration changed, so did the postmaster. About 1934, when Mrs.
McConnell was postmistress, the civil service examination for Postmaster went
into effect ; no longer was the postmaster appointed by the President . Mrs.
Catherine McConnell was the first Machias postal employee to take the civil
service examination.
Frank Zarabski was the last civil service postmaster.
On July 1st, 1970 the U.S. Post Office Department was disbanded, and
after passing of a new bill the U.S. Postal Service. was formed. The Postmasters
are now selected by a board of governors
The first believed post office was located In a building known as Camp's Store
now owned by the E. Casey family as their residence. This was during the
administration of Mamie Pierce. Then the Post Office was ea in the Legion
building which had previously housed a feed store and a hatchery Later the Post
Office was moved to its location on the corner of Hazelmere Ave. and Route 16 in
what was formerly known as the location of Red Wells store and gas station.
Later a steel structure was built and was Hooper's Store, and Mi11er's Store
and now the building is leased by the U.S. Postal service. Machias postmasters
and the dates of their appointment were; Joseph Kinne, Jr., 1828; Seth Rowly,
1833; Howard Peek, 1834, Lyman Twomley, 1837; Rufus L. Whitcher, 1845; William
Loomis, 1853: Gideon Trrell, 1861: Mrs. Juliette Wellington, 1861: Wesley
Follett, 1869; Richard B. Allen, 1878; Daniel Tilden, 1880; Moses Jewett, 1885;
Marvin Austin, 1889; Melville Farrar, 1893; Daniel H. Evans, 1898: Mamie B.
Evans, 1914; Mrs. Mamie B. Pierce, 1927; Mrs. Catherine McConne11, 1934; Frank
G. Zarabski, 1949; Mrs. Agnes L. Weidinger, 1972; and our rural carrier Walter
Lis served the interim of January 1972 to June 1972.
The above information was obtained from the Machias, New York, Chickasaw Sesquicentennial 1827-1977 book.