1925 Gilmer Post Office
Gilmer, Upshur County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Designed by architect James A. Wetmore, this building was constructed by A. C. Stamford of Alabama, who employed workers from Alabama and from Upshur County. Construction began in June 1925 and was completed early the following year. This structure served as the Gilmer Post Office until October 1991, when it was replaced by a new facility. The 1925 building remained vacant until March 1992 when local groups purchased it for use as a historical museum. A fine example of federal architecture, it features Georgian revival details of red brick and white limestone, plus wood trim, a pedimented central entry and parapet balustrade. Typical postal embellishments such as flanking entry lamps, a cornerstone and a stairway to the door give the structure a classical character. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1998
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Completed in 1926, Gilmer's post office was raised by an Alabama contractor using both his own crew and local Upshur County workers, and dressed in dignified Georgian Revival brick and limestone. For sixty-five years it handled the town's mail before a new facility took over in 1991. Rescued from vacancy by local groups, the handsome federal building found new life as a community history museum.
Why it matters
Small-town federal post offices were the everyday face of the national government, and their careful classical architecture signaled permanence and civic pride to communities across America.
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Related people
- · James A. Wetmore
- · A. C. Stamford
Themes & tags
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