History: Spencer Post Office

Contact: Stan
Email: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Hanson, Hayward, Robinson, Whipple, Gardiner, Hartford, Plathner, Heath, Stolenow, Pickett, Foelsch, Cool, Phillips, Messer, Parrette, Prehn, Sampson, Carpenter, Schiro, Cook, Laessig, Kibbel, Johnston, Driscoll, Baldwin, Neuenfeldt, Spiegelberg, Callahan

----Source: Spencer Centennial Book, 1874 – 1974 (Spencer, Marathon County, Wis.) pages 76-77

Before a postal service was established in Spencer, D. M. Hanson, the first owner of a team of horses, drove to Loyal once a week to get the mail for himself and his neighbors.

On July 27, 1874, John K. Hayward was appointed Spencer’s first postmaster, his office being his desk in his log shanty which he had built south of the right-of-way where the U.S.S. Agri-Chemicals is now located. The office was soon moved to the James Robinson Store, his son, J. L. Robinson, having been commissioned postmaster. He was followed by Frank Whipple, also an employee of the store. The succeeding early postmasters all housed the post office in their places of business, namely John Gardiner, Moses P. Hartford, Otto Plathner and Frank Heath, with the office then being in his brother, Grant’s, drug store. In 1913 Max Stolenow was appointed postmaster and the office was subsequently moved to his store where it remained until 1918 when it was moved for the first time to a building of its own, the former Richardson Millinery Shop on West Main Street, with Agnes Pickett as postmistress. Several years later it was moved to a building on Clark Street, now the Melvin Tremmel Machine Shop. Its next location was a building on Clark Street, formerly the Covi Shoe Shop, and presently the Hanson Imports from Mexico. Its present location on LaSalle Street in the building erected by George Foelsch for that purpose.

Shortly after rural free delivery was established, Spencer Post Office was promoted from a fourth class to a third class office. George Hayward was our first rural carrier and later, as the town and surrounding area grew and prospered, a second route was established and another carrier appointed. In George Hayward’s 30 years of service (March 1, 1904 – March, 1934) he logged 268,000 miles and listed the following equipment used by him: 17 horses, 5 buggies, 3 sets sleighs, 1 cutter, 1 two-wheeled cart, 3 sets of double harnesses, 3 single harnesses, 1 motorcycle w/side car, 4 autos. Some of our other carriers were Edwin Cool, A. B. Phillips, A. E. Messer, R. J. Parrette, and Donald Prehn. Our present carriers are Russell Sampson and Robert Carpenter.

For many years now the Spencer Post Office has been a second class office with a growth that has kept pace with that of our town and with an ever increasing volume of mail. Thomas Schiro has been our postmaster since May 13, 1972. Present employees at the office are: Window Clerks, Loraine Cook, Shirley Laessig, Robert Carpenter; Sub-Clerk, Larry Kibbel.

Others who have been either acting or appointed postmaster are Helen Pickett, Maude Johnston, Lawrence Driscoll, Esther Callahan, Herbert Spiegelberg, Dale Baldwin, Donald Prehn, and Charles Neuenfeldt.