Most of us here today have heard some of the story of how long before the members of the Continental Congress took pen in hand to sign the Declaration of Independence that set in motion the events that would give birth to the greatest nation in the world, a few courageous and adventurous men left the comforts of established settlements in the “East” to journey across beautiful mountains and through lush, green valleys to hunt in the wilderness Daniel Boone would call “Kain-tucky.”

In the summer of 1770 these “Long Hunters” spent some time hunting around the Hines Cave in the Mill Springs area of Wayne County. Nobody knows for sure how many men were associated with this restless group but included were William Allen, John Baker, Joseph Brown, Edward and Ned Cowan, Joseph Drake, and William Crabtree. Dressed in their long-sleeved linen hunting shirts and long linen trousers with ankle-high moccasins, they used their weapons and simple tools to survive in their strange surroundings. Survival was made safer in the base camp they built in the Big Meadow on the south bank of the Cumberland River in a place about halfway between Monticello and Mill Springs. They would venture from this safe place to roam up and down the river killing thousands of elk, deer, and bear.

Mail service did not exist for these Long Hunters but the message of the beauty of this land reached back home and in no time at all a monumental effort was put forth to develop a buffalo trace into the great Wilderness Road. In 1775, two men, Benjamin Price and Nathaniel Buchanan, after hearing of the glowing reports of the Long Hunters, made their way to the new land and established a camp in the Big Meadow, built a block house, and named it Price’s Station, the first white permanent settlement in our area. It’s interesting to note that Price’s Station is said to have been one of only three settlements in Kentucky that survived the Indian Wars of 1777. The other two being Harrodsburg and Boonesborough.

In 1777 Kentucky was only a county of Virginia and in May of 1779, the Virginia General Assembly opened Kentucky County to general settlement and passed an act for making and opening a road over the Cumberland mountains that we call the Wilderness Road. From the time in 178l when the first travelers over that pioneer road trudged toward what Jesse Stuart would call “the heart of America” till the green grass and pine trees concealed the deeply worn wagon tracks, there was a steady stream of men, women, and young people who risked their very lives to make Kentucky the place they would call home. By 1780 Kentucky County was subdivided into the three counties that on June 1, 1792 became the 15th state to be admitted to the Union of American States. On December 13, 1800 the State Legislature of Kentucky created a new county and named it Wayne in honor of the Revolutionary General, “Mad” Anthony Wayne. With the creation of a new county, there would have to be a county seat and consequently the new county court met on April 20, 1801 and ordered that 13 acres be surveyed for a new town. That order was carried out by Joshua Jones and on January 19th, 1802, Monticello, Kentucky was “born.” The 13 acres was adequate for the four families that lived here. It was even adequate for the 37 families who called Monticello “home” in 1810. To accommodate the new government of the new county and town, Wayne County’s first log courthouse was located in the center of a public square. Micha Taul, was selected as the first clerk of Wayne County when he was only fifteen years of age. As clerk of the court, he was present on those special occasions when the settlers would “go to town” for court days. He has left us with this description of the residents of Monticello and Wayne County: They were “principally of emigrants, from Western Virginia and East Tennessee; they were a rough hardy race of men, very large and stout, and altogether an excellent population for a new country. We had monthly meetings of the people. Everybody came to court, and the day was spent in drinking, fighting and jollifying just for fun.....There were a few Horse thieves, but the great mass of the people were honest and every way to be depended upon.” I’ll leave it up to you to judge how we have or have not changed over the past one hundred or so years!

In 1803, just 28 years after Benjamin Franklin had been appointed Postmaster General by the Second Continental Congress, there was a need for a post office in the newly formed city of Monticello. Roger Oates was already in business in Monticello, serving as tavern keeper, jailer, and half a dozen other ventures. While the exact date of his appointment as the first postmaster in Monticello is unknown; it is documented by the U.S. Postal Service that Oates’ first financial return as Monticello postmaster was dated January 1, 1803. Mr. Oates must have done a fine job as postmaster since he served in that position for a period of nine years. From these statements you can see that the Monticello post office is as old as the city of Monticello. Each tells the history of the other. They both have existed and served the citizens of Monticello as a team through 200 years of rich history. Proctor Rankin once wrote: “Old post offices reflect the character of those who use them.” The fact is, the history of the Monticello post office is the history of Monticello! The industry and commerce of an area can be traced through a study of the establishment of post offices and the delivery of the mail. With approximately one hundred post offices having existed in Wayne County, we certainly have an abundance of information and history at our disposal. By looking at the post offices from Alpha to Zula we can take a journey through Barrier, Betsy, Cooper, Delta, Flossie, Mount Pisgah, Sendie, Wait, and Wendy. Every stop will tell us something of the rich heritage we have in Monticello and Wayne County.

One story about mail delivery in Monticello was told by John D. Wakefield in 1901 when he wrote the following: “The owner of the stage coach is Charley Burton, one of the most influential and enterprising businessmen of the metropolis of Wayne County. Burton has the unique distinction of carrying Uncle Sam’s mail for less money than any other man in the United States. Previous to (President) McKinley’s last election, Mr. Burton got $1,800 every year for carrying the mail between Burnside and Monticello and all intermediate points. Some persons became convinced that Mr. Burton was making too much money, and they were determined to underbid him for the contract. Burton owned two stagecoaches and was experienced in handling the mail, so he made up his mind that he would not be ‘run out’ of the business. When the stagecoach reached Monticello, bringing the newspapers telling of McKinley’s reelection, Burton was met by a committee of citizens. “’Look here, Charley,’ said the spokesman, ‘you have been carrying this mail long enough, and we are going to underbid you for the next four year’s contract. We can run the coach cheaper than you can, and, by George, you might as well quit right now.’ “’I’m not out of the business yet,’ replied Burton. “The day came for bidding on the contract and Burton won. Instead of $7,200 for carrying the mail for four years he bid one cent. It was a great victory for Burton, and he and his friends celebrated the day the contract was awarded. The old stage horses were given an extra feed of oats and corn and some of the citizens were invited to take a complimentary trip to Burnside in the ‘fast express.’ “Burton’s rivals were completely outwitted. On account of the contest for the contract, Uncle Same saves $7,199.99 for the four years for the mail, which is now carried for one-fourth of a cent a year. Burton says he does not mind doing the government the favor of transporting the mail, and the people say the service could not be excelled.”

To get the real story of the Wayne County oil boom you had to go to the old Rocky Branch post office and talk to the Post Master, Mr. Ed Bell. At one time you could go to the small, white frame building and sit in a porch swing with Mr. Bell and when he was 81 years of age hear him say: “I’ve seen a lot of changes since I was old enough to know anything.” “Used to,” he’d say, “there weren’t no roads in here.....The mail came from Monticello by horseback, every day, six days a week. Everybody from Monticello to Pisgah used to order stuff parcel post. They loaded down the horse and made the trip every day, no matter how cold it got.” Ed could tell you that his father was the first Post Master of Rocky Branch. He even gave it it’s name. Ed could tell you that during the oil boom he’d “seen 16 mules pulling a rig across them old roads.” Ed was there when the WPA started building roads in 1933. Ed remembered when World War II came along and the people around Rocky Branch left their country homes--leaving for city jobs in Indiana and Ohio. Ed said, “They just covered Indiana up.” One newspaper reporter wrote: “There is a lot of history in that little white building--and no small part of it can be heard from (Post Master) Ed Bell for the asking.” Any person with a sensitive heart and a love for history has to appreciate the place the post office has had in our development as a community and nation. It’s a wonderful part of our history.

In 1998, the city of Monticello made preparations to enter the 21st Century by dedicating this modern building. It won’t be long till all the county post offices are only a memory of our past. And, though they be gone, they will always be a part of the journey that finds us in this place today. I think it is appropriate that we have this celebration today to remember the mail carriers of the past like the mounted carrier who at the beginning of the last century rode from Monticello to Sunny Brook where he would unload his sack and ride back to Monticello by way of Slickford, leaving the daily mail there. He only got 58 cents a day for his work and did not complain of what he had to do as he rode the 40-mile-a-day route by horseback.

Today we recognize the contributions that hundreds of others like postmasters and postmistresses Roger Oats, Rhodes Garth, Calvin Barrier, Pleasant E. Phillips, Harry A. Tate, Mrs. Opal E. Duncan, Charles Peters, and Ben Polly have made to the progress and development of Monticello. Today we simply form another link in the chain that unites us with our past--a past that we must forever respect and honor.

I conclude with an adaptation I have made of a poem by James J. Metcalf:

The postal workers are the ones who supervise the mail delivery in our town And, in my opinion, they deserve recognition and perhaps a special crown.

The postmaster, carriers, and clerks are always right on hand, To answer every question and to meet the least demand

They read to folks and help them write the words they want to say; And sometimes wrap the packages that people send away.

They even lend the pennies for the stamps that some can’t buy, And gladly fill the ball point pens that suddenly run dry.

They are as friendly as anyone can be, These men and women who serve in our community.

Submitted by: Harlan Ogle