History of the Jellico, TN Post Office
The first established post office was in Pennsylvania by 1683. As mail routes grew, so did the number of post offices nationwide. By 1861 nearly 30,000 post offices existed nationwide to help Americans communicate with one another and across the globe. Thomas Smith became the post master of the new building that would eventually become the first Jellico post office on October 29, 1878.
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History of Postal Service
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When the colonists first arrived in America and established Jamestown in 1608, the need to communicate abroad held great importance. As colonies, America was financed by merchants and aristocrats across he Atlantic. By 1639 the first official mail service begun and expanded into the predecessor of USPS. The United States Postal service offically began under full American control when the Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin the first Postmaster General in 1775. As more roads and offices sprang up across the country. Originally mail delivery was only guaranteed from one post office to the other. By 1863 Congress passed a law that began free delivery to addresses financed from the sale of postage. Jellico was one of the first post offices to begin operation with mail delivery.
Founding of Jellico, Tennesse
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Jellico Tennessee is a part of Campbell County Tennesee. The area we now refer to as Jellico was originally referred to as Smithburgh Tennesee (founded in 1795). Tennesee created Campbell County in 1806. The area of Jellico is actually perpendicular to the border of Kentucky and Tennesee with a small part of the town actually being in Kentucky. Jellico was offically incorporated by 1886.
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The Jellico Post Office
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The first Jellico post office was built in 1878 before the town was offically incorporated. By 1883 the post office had its name changed to the Jellico Post Office and the town was incorporated in 1886. Before the railroads or mining boom, all Jellico consisted of was a store and this post office.
Residential service was small at first as the area was largely unpopulated. With the arrival of two railroad lines and the boom of the coal industry it was not long before this area became a thriving small Tennesee township. For a time it was the largest town in Campbell County because of mining camps and industrial workers with a population of over 25,000. The original building was in front of what later became the historic Ancil house on South Main Street. It's current location is on 368 N. Main St. in Jellico as the original is now being historically preserved.
Jellico Post Office and Mining
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Since Jellico was such an important mining town, it is no small surprise that its historic post office building made in 1915 was actually Jellico's Post Office and Mine Rescue Station. Rescue stations were centers that were orignally intended to investigate the cause of these mining accidents. Over time, communities used these resources to rescue and provide relief to workers. By 1915 when the historical post office building was made it is clear that these stations were known for rescue operations instead of corporate analysis. The station, however, was too late to prevent a huge accidental explosion of dynamite in the mines in 1906 that killed 200 people.
Continued Uses Today
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As the original building is now protected by the National Trust for Historic Sites, it remains an important landmark in Jellico along with other buildings in the historical commercial district. The current post office is not too far from its predecessor.
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- Photo Credit smallest us post office image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
