NJPH - New Jersey Postal History Society

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HEZEKIAH B. SMITH’S INDUSTRIAL VILLAGE ~ Doug D’Avino Some time later in 1930, the new postmaster’s family – husband Joseph, daughters Edith, Mary and Eleanor, and son Joseph, Jr. – moved into the Postmaster’s house on Maple Avenue, previously occupied by former Postmaster Charles G. Hatcher. While the house on Forest Avenue was larger, the Postmaster’s house had indoor plumbing! Image courtesy of Edith Vaughn’s family Fig. 10: Postmaster Edith Vaughn at the window inside the Smithville post office. The Postal Bulletin in June, 1963, said of the Mr. Zip button “Window clerks shall be responsible for wearing this button at all times when on duty.” Service to the Smithville post office was discontinued in June, 1964, shortly after Vaughn’s October, 1963, retirement; postal duties were handled by a clerk until the closure. NJPH 206 Vol. 39/No. 4 Nov 2011 Whole No. 184
Doug D’Avino ~ HEZEKIAH B. SMITH’S INDUSTRIAL VILLAGE Image courtesy of Edith Vaughn’s family Fig. 11: Postmaster Edith Vaughn’s 1963 U.S. Post Office Department Honorary Recognition Certificate for almost 34 years of service as Smithville’s postmaster, signed by Postmaster General John A. Gronouski. Jeanne Vaughn, Edith’s daughter-in-law, served as a postal clerk (part-time), typically working when Edith needed a vacation day, sick day, etc. One of the tasks the two women shared was the daily mail exchange with the Railroad Post Office (RPO) car, known as “mail on-the-fly.” Outbound mail had to be positioned early each morning (before 7 a.m.) on the mail crane for pick-up by the passing RPO train from Philadelphia. A steep ladder had to be climbed to reach the platform, then the heavy mailbag hung from the crane. Most of Smithville’s outbound mail was generated by the H. B. Smith Machine Company, including business correspondence and bills, catalogs and (heavy) machine replacement parts. Inbound mail arrived each afternoon when the train stopped at the Smithville railroad station (shown in Figure 12), about a hundred yards up the road from the village, on Railroad Avenue. Service to the Smithville post office was discontinued in June, 1964. Vol. 39/No. 4 207 NJPH Whole No. 184 Nov 2011
Page 1 and 2: NJPH The Journal of the NEW JERSEY
Page 3 and 4: Robert G. Rose ~ CLARKSBURG RIMLESS
Page 5 and 6: Richard Micchelli ~ CIVIL WAR PATRI
Page 17 and 18: Doug D’Avino ~ HEZEKIAH B. SMITH
Page 25: Doug D’Avino ~ HEZEKIAH B. SMITH
Page 31 and 32: Don Chafetz ~ DEVELOPMENT OF THE MA
Page 35 and 36: Statehood Period Don Chafetz ~ DEVE
Page 37 and 38: Statehood Period Don Chafetz ~ DEVE
Page 43 and 44: Statehood Period Dateline: Via: To:
Page 47 and 48: Gene Fricks ~ NJ MACHINE CANCELS Il
Page 49 and 50: Jean Walton ~ THE NEW JERSEY PHILAT
Page 55 and 56: Doug D’Avino ~ HOMETOWN POs: Amat
Page 57 and 58: MEMBER ADS MEMBER ADS ~ YOUR AD MIS
Page 59 and 60: NJPHS LITERATURE AVAILABLE postpaid

NJPH - New Jersey Postal History Society

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