The Art Deco Post Office In Milton, Pennsylvania

 
The Art Deco Style Milton Post Office is Located at 43 North Front Street, Milton.  

In a time when the United States was giving towns 5 basic post office designs to choose from, Milton was getting an extremely unique building that is often on Art Deco tours still today.  Built in 1935, the architect made several unusual requests that had to be taken to Harrisburg for approval.  When approval was not received for the relief carvings to decorate the building, a local businessman paid for them himself.

The location of the  Post Office moved around town a bit over the decades, but it got it's start very near where it stands today. In 1934 several newspapers reported that "The structure stands within a few hundred feet of the point where the pony express discharged the first packed of mail in 1799."   The current building was dedicated on the 135th anniversary of that first pony express delivery.  In the current building, over the post masters office, it reads: "In Milton Near this site Marcus Huling, Jr., in 1769 as agent for the Susquehanna company erected a log tavern and became the first settler of Milton. The first post office was established here in 1799." 

On February 8 1881,  "The Milton Post Office moved to corner of Elm and Center Streets".  

In 1892, there was a dentists office over the post office.

Eventually the post office moved to the building on Front Street beside Lincoln Park.

This building also served as Odd Fellows Hall.  The Fountain shown here was part of the W.C.T.U initiative.  See the dedication, and explanation, of the fountain in Watsontown here.

On November 24, 1934, The Milton Post Office moved to it's current location at 34 North Front Street.

New Post Office At Milton Called Most Beautiful 

Newspaper Article, November 9 1934

With a mixture of modern photos and old post cards added to enhance the descriptions given.

Milton's new post office which is to be dedicated about December first is the most beautiful post office building in any town of a corresponding size in the United States.

The Milton PA Post Office, zip code 17847, In 2020

The building is on modernistic design described by one engineer, "as just futuristic enough not to be out of date 15 or 20 years from now." The doorways and lobby are works of art. A color scheme of buff has been employed with the walls a cream mankato stone. The ceiling is covered with aluminum leaf to match the windows, and the leaf will be tinted with gold. The floor is a two tone terrazzo stone. Windows are marked in cast aluminum and above the postmaster's private office is the following inscription:

"In Milton Near this site Marcus Huling, Jr., in 1769 as agent for the Susquehanna company erected a log tavern and became the first settler of Milton. The first post office was established here in 1799." 

These were the buildings that stood on North Front Street, where the post office stands today. 

The building has a frontage of 92 feet on Front street and a depth of 70 feet. It is on the east side of Front street between Broadway and Walnut streets. The plot of ground was purchased for '$18,000 and had to be cleared of three buildings before work on the new edifice could be started. 

The cornerstone was laid November 13, 1933, and construction has continued under the Fred C. Rowley Company of Hammond, Ind. The cost of the building is set at $65,000 and $4,500 of this has been used in constructing the entrance which protrudes from the north end of the rest of the building. 

A large revolving front, door is made of bronze with bronze stain less steel columns on both sides. Above the door is a bronze tablet containing the United State's seal and a map of Milton. From the roof extends a bronze flag staff. The bricks used in the structure are an oversize salmon color and the brickwork is topped by a layer of pink dolimite limestone. 

Two Indian models are being carved in stone at the side of the doorway. 

One of the interesting features is a secret passage way for postal inspectors. Private office quarters for the inspectors have been -established in the basement and from a closet in this room the inspectors may enter the secret passage, by means of a ladder. The passage, the floors of which are lined with sound-proof cork, is so constructed that the inspectors may, watch the employees in the working and rest rooms. 

Henry D. Rowley, construction engineer for the Fred Rowley Co, suffered severe bruises when the flag pole on top of the new office building fell on him while being erected.

Plans for the dedication are being formulated by Postmaster Elijah H. Fullmer who states that the formal opening will take place around, the first of December. An invitation has been extended to toastmaster General James A. Farley to be present at the dedication and many other notables are expected for the exercises." - The Daily Item, Nov 9 1934

The brick work under the window symbolizes stalks of wheat - or the productivity of America

Henry Sternfield decided custom made bricks, a quarter inch larger in all dimensions, would be used throughout the building. This was to be symbolic of the grandeur of the facility. The P.O. Department balked but quickly gave in to this first of three atypical design requests.

 After another special trip to Washington, negotiators got their way and a unique plaque was commissioned for over the entrance doors. It includes a map of Milton, the West Branch of the Susquehanna, and both islands, the great seal of the United States, the points of the compass, and two Indian heads.  The eagle on the Milton Post Office is one of the last to have his wings point upwards.  This style fell out of favor during World War II, as it resembled one of Hitlers designs.  Eagles with wings stretched to the sides became the preferred design.

Washington would not budge on the third design request.   The architect insisted that the history of mail service be carved in stone on the post office's parapet. There were to be five carved stones in all, to be done by a master carver in Philadelphia.  One source states that the request was denied, but  Walter Wilson personally paid for the custom carvings, which included the pony express, a truck, plane, locomotive, and ship.  Another source states: 

"The post office in Milton is home to five sculptures by Louis A. Maene, all completed in 1936 with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and viewable on the exterior facade. There is the bronze sculpture entitled “Milton Topography,” the limestone bas relief entitled “Native Americans,” and the limestone bas reliefs depicting modes of transporting the mail and entitled, “Truck,” “Locomotive,” “Ship,” “Plane,” and “Pony Express,”"

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The Old Train Station was put to use as a temporary Post Office after the 1972 flood, until the front street building could be cleaned and repaired for use.

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Find More Stories & History Of Milton

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/04/milton-pa.html

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Harry Sternfield 1888-1978

M.S.Arch., U. of Pennsylvania, 1914; Professor of Architecture, U. of Pennsylvania, 1923-59.

Paris Prize in Architecture, 1914; F.A.I.A.

Also designed the Philadelphia Post Office (and many other buildings in Philadelphia) in an Art Deco Style

Find a list of his work here:

https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display_projects.cfm/25411

And a more in depth bio here:

https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display.cfm/25411

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1921

From Bell’s History of Northumberland County 1891: 

The Milton post office was established January 1, 1800.

 The following is a list of postmasters, with the respective dates of their appointments:

 Samuel Hepburn, January 1, 1800; 

Jared Irwin, July 1, 1802;

 Bethuel Vincent, June 29, 1803; 

John Davison, February 22, 1822; 

Bethuel Vincent, July 13, 1822; 

William Jordan, June 23, 1829; 

Benjamin Morrison, May 11, 1831; 

Robert H. Hammond, March 6, 1832; 

Stephen Wilson, April 4, 1837;

 Leonard Stoughton, February 22, 1841; 

William C. Wilson, November 21, 1844; 

Lyman H. Wilson, June 9, 1849; 

James H. McCormick, June 3, 1853; 

George W. Strine, March 26, 1858; 

George Lawrence, March 19, 1861;

 Willis H. Lawrence, January 7, 1864; 

John Peterman, March 6, 1866; 

Carlton B. Davis, September 21, 1866; 

Daniel Burnman, May 4, 1867; 

Mrs. Mary Eckbert, February 12, 1868;

 William P. Wheeland, April 21, 1869;

 Leander M. Morton, December 8, 1873; 

William H. Bogle, June 23, 1879;

 J. A. Logan, June 21, 1882; 

Allen S. Hottenstein, July 26, 1886;

 Robert W. Correy, June 26, 1890, took office, August 27, 1890.