The Post Office
The Danville post-office was established in 1806, General William
Montgomery being the first postmaster at this place. He and Daniel
Montgomery served until 1813, when Rudolph Sechler was appointed,
April 3 of that year. He held the office until James Loughead was
appointed, on the 24th of November, 1820. David Petrikin suc-
ceeded him, on the 1st of February, 1834. Next John Best was
appointed on the 21st day of March, 1837, who served until the ap-
pointment of Sharpless Taylor, on the 25th of March, 1841. He
was followed by Alexander Best, who was appointed on the 9th of
November, 1842. Gideon M. Shoop was appointed on the 11th of
April, 1849. During his term the new county of Montour was
created. On the 26th of November, 1852, Thomas C. Ellis was
appointed, and on the 21st of September, 1853, Thomas Chalfant
received the appointment. During his term, in 1856, the Danville
post-office became a Presidential appointment, and Mr. Chalfant
was re-appointed by the President, on the 21st of February, 1856,
and served until the 28th of May, 1861, when he was succeeded by
Andrew F. Russel, who was re-appointed on the 14th of July, 1865,
and served until Ogden H. Ostrander was appointed, on the 16th of
April, 1867. Charles W. Eckman was appointed on the 5th of April,
1869, and re-appointed on the 18th of March, 1873, and again re-
appointed on the 7th of April, 1877. Colonel Charles W. Eckman
is the present incumbent. Under his administration there have been
great improvements, both in the arrangement and appointments of
the office and in its management, giving the highest degree of satis-
faction to the department and to the public. In September, 1874,
he moved the post-office to the opera-house, a central location, fit-
ting it up with seven hundred and fifty-six Yale boxes. These boxes,
with the handsome casing, give a stylish appearance to the office,
where every desired convenience is afforded. There is not a country
town in the State that can boast a better-conducted, better-arranged,
or more elegant post-office than that of Danville.
In every country town the post-office is a good place to study
human nature. See that individual who only gets one letter in six
months, who always struggles to be first at the delivery. At last he
gets a letter! See how he turns it over and over, looks at the ad-
dress, examines the stamp, and seems astonished to find himself in
possession of the prize. He looks up at the crowd with an air of
importance, whilst the crowd is silently reading him. Next look at
that spruce young clerk, who gets a dozen or more for his employer.
How wise he looks, and seems to say to the crowd, "Look at my
correspondence." Then comes the indignant individual, who won-
ders why he got none, and thinks there must be something wring in
the management of the mail. He calls on the postmaster to know
why it didn't come. Now comes the bashful young man, who ex-
pects a letter from his lady love. He looks as if the postmaster and
everybody else knew the nature of the precious epistle, and slips
away to enjoy it himself. There comes a big man, carelessly
treading on other folks' corns. He gets a dun from his wash-
woman, and tries to pass it off for a draft on the bank. Do you see
that booby on the side-walk, or, in cold weather, backed against the
inside wall, just to see who comes and goes, or to glance at what
others get. There comes Miss Sweet Sixteen. She expects a letter
from "somebody," but, seeing the crowd, she retreats until the coast
is clear. She does not choose to let all the world see her blushes as
she receives the prize. But now make room for the man from the
rural district, who inquires for the whole neighborhood. He at last
gives way to the confident chap, who gets mad when he fails to get
a letter, because he is sure it was mailed. So if you want to take a
good lesson on human nature, just go to the post-office at mail time.
And don't forget to take a quiet smile at the fussy man, who rushes in,
peeps into half the boxes, then peers down the schute where the drop
letters go. What he sees there, has never been revealed.
This page is maintained by Terri Cook as part of the USGenWeb Project.
©2001. Terri Cook. All rights reserved.