Near Site of Azle Post Office
Azle, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Originally named O'Bar, the Azle Post Office opened in 1881. The name was changed in 1883 for Dr. Azle Stewart, who gave land for the townsite. Initially the Post Office was located in a store. Postmaster Cora Lovell moved the operation to a frame building at 141 W. Main, where it remained from 1916 to 1953. The Post Office became a community gathering place. During the 38-year term of Postmaster Elsie Gipson Parker, it also housed a small public library. A larger postal facility was erected in 1970-71, after Azle attained the rank of First Class Station. (1979)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
First called O'Bar, the post office opened in 1881 and was renamed in 1883 for Dr. Azle Stewart, who donated the townsite land. For decades it doubled as a community hub — postmaster Cora Lovell settled it into a frame building on West Main, and during Elsie Gipson Parker's 38-year tenure it even housed a small public library — until Azle's growth earned a larger facility in the early 1970s.
Why it matters
The small-town post office was often the heart of civic life, and Azle's — long run by women who added a library to its counters — shows how these federal outposts knit rural communities together.
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Related people
- · Dr. Azle Stewart
- · Cora Lovell
- · Elsie Gipson Parker
Themes & tags
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