News: Sherwood-Washburn “First Post Office” (History - 1982)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Short, Richmond, Kennedy

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 1/21/1982

Sherwood-Washburn “First Post Office” (History - 1982)

Was Sherwood-Washburn site of County’s Very First Post Office?

First Post Office

By Edith Short

I always enjoy the “Oldies” corner. Last week was especially interesting on the postal service to Day Corner, Shortville and Nevins, which now is Sherwood.

This wasn’t the first Shortville post office, maybe the second one at the Richmond home.

Andrew Short, father of the late Ralph Short, was the postmaster with an office in their two-room log cabin.

Andrew Short and Jane Kennedy were married July 10, 1873, and he built the house before that.

Don’t know if there is any record in Clark County of the first post office but I have no record of the exact year.

The Clark County history book published in 1918 tells of Andrew short being first postmaster and post office being in their log cabin but doesn’t say the year. Shortville was named in his honor and his four brothers, James, John, George and Steven, who all lived in that area. There were not many roads (no roads at first and they had to walk to Neillsville and sometimes to Hatfield for groceries. They had no horses either.

I wonder how many of us would like to do that now-a-days? Times have changed.

(This article found in the weekly news column of the Sherwood-Washborn area. Dmk)