London Post Office
London, Kimble County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In the early days of Kimble County, Len and Bettie Lewis established their ranch as a trade center. Bettie received most area mail at their home, the Lewis Hotel and Wagon Yard. In 1882 Bettie filed an application to formalize her postal station and was made the first post-master of the New "London" Post Office. Because of its central location and good roads, London became the direct route between Mason and Junction City. This site replaced an earlier post office near the town square. By 1997, 14 postmasters had served London in 115 years. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the early days of Kimble County a ranching couple turned their hotel and wagon yard into a trade center, where the wife gathered the neighborhood's mail. In 1882 she formalized the arrangement and became the first postmaster of the new London post office. Its central location made the settlement the direct road between Mason and Junction, and postmasters served it for well over a century.
Why it matters
Rural post offices were lifelines that tied isolated ranch country to the wider nation, and often gave frontier women rare positions of public trust.
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Related people
- · Len Lewis
- · Bettie Lewis
Themes & tags
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