Old Muddy Post Office

July 9, 2010 - Posted by Amy

While in Harrisburg, Keith and I took Luke on a drive to get him started on his afternoon nap. We ended up in Muddy, Illinois, just north of Harrisburg. Muddy had a population 78 at the 2000 census.

Muddy also has its own post office. Here it is.

New Muddy Post Office

What? You are not impressed? Maybe you would be more impressed if I showed you the old Muddy Post Office, which is across the street and was open until 2002.

Old Muddy Post Office

As you can see, it is now a “museum.” I peeked inside the locked door. I probably could have gotten someone at the current post office to let me in, but it was closed for lunch. There were a few photos hanging on the wall and a list of postmasters through the years. These are some shots I got through the glass.

desk

mailboxes

I found a photo on Flickr of the Muddy post office in 1996, when it was still in operation. Muddy’s wikipedia page claims that this was the smallest US post office in its day, but a quick google search shows that distinction goes to Ochopee, Florida, with its 7×8 foot building. Apparently Muddy’s old post office is 7.5×10.5.

Just what you were hoping to read about today, right? I’ll try to resist the urge to write about the largest KFC in the country, which happens to be in the same county. Yes, I’m serious.

Okay, just to end on a more respectable note, please ooo and ahh with me over this lovely house in Harrisburg, which I suspect was built in the heyday of the coal mining era of the region. Poplar Street is lined with old houses like this. Be still my heart.

Victorian house

And before I convince myself I need to buy this house and get a job as postmistress in nearby Muddy, I’ll just imagine myself trimming all those lovely bushes by hand. Maybe I’ll just be content where I am.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 9th, 2010 at 9:29 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

3 Comments

  1. Mom says:

    One of my Facebook friends just posted a picture of the post office in Florida. I don’t know if you can see this picture or not.
    http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1408574965&aid=69785&s=40&hash=3c2d9c011883787312329351e72b7715#!/photo.php?pid=1458021&id=1408574965

    Note by Amy: Here is a link to a picture and story about it also.

    ... on July 9th, 2010
  2. Mom says:

    For a long time Muddy was also known for being the only wet town in a dry county.

    ... on July 9th, 2010
  3. Lindsay McKinstry says:

    Rileyville (where my Grandma Nora Ann grew up) has a post office that I think is very close in size.

    I really like that house too by the way.

    ... on July 10th, 2010