THE MULLEN POST OFFICE

by Joellen Phillips

Entry T5 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Mullen Post Office, Clara Humphrey Postmistress 1908.

Mullen Post Office, Lloyd L. Ginkens Jr. Postmaster - 1988.

The only official record of the postal
department concerning the Mullen office is
the list of the postmasters and their years of
tenure which follows. The remaining infor-
mation in this article has been gathered from
the local newspaper, The Hooker County
Tribune and from actual conversation with
the person mentioned. The roll of postmast-
ers: (Postmaster, Appointment Date) Melvin
A. Hammel, April 24, 1889; Ervin G. Sisty,
November 4, 1896; Henry J. Lowe, December
26, 1896; John Kudrna, January 9, 1900;
Clara C. Jeffords, February 1, 1908; Richard
R. McKinney, December 30, 1910; James J.
Heelan, August 10, 1912; John J. Motl,
December 2, 1919 (acting); Edwin C. Pickett,
December 17, 1919 (acting); John A. Gibson,
January 22, 1925; John A. Gibson Jr., October
31, 1957; Lloyd L. Ginkens, Jr., October 2,
1959. The Mullen office was first established
April 24, 1889, but the actual location is not
known. When Henry J. Jowe was postmaster
he also operated a general merchandise store
at 101 NW First St., and it is believed the post
office was in his store. Where it moved from
here is not known.

In August, 1907 Miss Laura Thomas was
assistant postmaster, and in December of the
same year Miss Clara Jeffords was installed
as assistant postmistress, and the paper
reported she was `catching on to Uncle Sam's
ways with remarkable rapidity'.

In November 1919 J.J. Heelan tendered his
resignation to `take up a better paying
position for less work'. The salary at this time
was $1600 annually. J.J. Motl, the local
druggist, served as acting postmaster until
E.C. Pickett volunteered for the job. Mr.
Pickett was `head of the high school', and was
aided in the job by his wife and Haskle Boyer.

In October, 1922, the post office moved to
105 NW First Street in a two office building
shared with the Averitt Drug Store. the paper
stated `this will give the force the sorely
needed improvement in working conditions
and do away with the lobby floor being
flooded every time it rains.' The former post
office building was remodeled and a new floor
put down, and Att. J.J. Heelan (former
postmaster) moved his law office into the
building.

In November 1938 the post office moved to
201 NW First Street, just west of the Johnson
Mercantile Co., and the former building was
converted into the Mullen Style Shoppe. It
was also reported in that year that 17 persons
applied for the Mullen postmaster job when
it was reported that John Gibson's term was
expiring and he was not overly interested in
seeking the job again. Mr. Gibson retained
the office many more years.

In 1957 Mr. Albert Starr erected a new
brick building at 106 NE First Street, and the
office again moved to a new home. This
building was enlarged in 1967, and the post
office is currently occupying a 2271 square
foot building. Mullen is a second class office
with 428 post office boxes and four Highway
Contract routes carried by two carriers on
alternating days to supply tri-weekly mail
service to the rural customers. Some of the
clerks who have worked in the post office
include Russell (Slim) Crouse who worked for
many years with John Gibson; Claude Crain
worked from 1941 until his death in 1961;
Neal Dutton from the early 1950's until his
death in 1964; Gerald Long from 1964 until
he transferred to Hemingford, Nebraska as
postmaster in 1978; Joellen Phillips from
1966 until the present time; and Joan Rogers
from 1968 until her appointment as county
judge in 1986, at which time she retired.
There are others who have worked for shorter
periods of time over the years.