The mail was delivered to Harrisburg by rail until late 1963 or early 1964 per Rick Higgins. Rick Higgins is the last living person I know of to hang the mail pouch on the railroad mail post. Rick's’s Mother, Daddy, and Granddaddy all worked for the railroad. The mail post was located on the South side of the North bound railroad tracks across from the relocated and restored Joe Sim’s store/post office. As the North bound train mail car passed the mail pickup pole the arm that had been extended from the mail car by the postmaster would grab the outgoing mail that was in a pouch attached to the mail pole and then, as the train post office car passed the depot the mail postmaster would throw the incoming mail pouch off the mail car to be picked up by a local Harrisburg rail employee without the train stopping.
Early days: William McCleary (Clade) McCachren who lived in the South East corner of Robinson Church and Stallings would meet the mail train at 4:30 in the morning and take the mail to either the Sloop store or the Sims store for storage until the store/post office opened up. Later when Clade stopped meeting the train saying he was tired of getting up so early, the train would stop and the train postmaster would walk to and place the mail in the respective store, return to the train, and then the train would depart. The Sloop store was in the South West corner of the railroad and Robinson Church Road. The Sloop store had a box on the front porch to hold the mail and the box shows up in the picture of the Sloop Store that is hung in the Sims restored store. I remember well sitting on that box as I talked to some of the other boys in Harrisburg. When the Sims store was the post office a trap door was opened in the front of the store and the mail bag thrown into the store. During the restoration of the Sims store the trap door did not get replaced and is stored in the attic of the store. The Sims store was originally located in the North West corner of the railroad and Robinson Church Road. As it was located only 6-1/2 feet off the white line it was not safe to restore it there so it was relocated to its present position.
When the railroad discontinued the mail delivery in the early 60's the mail post and base were removed by the railroad and thrown off to the South side of the railroad onto the Paul Harris property. Per Rodney Harris, the post laid there until around 1974 when, getting tired of cleaning up around it, he loaded it on a trailer and moved it to the Harris farm on Stallings Road which was across Stallings Road from the Harrisburg elementary school. It then was not remembered being seen again, disappeared, and was assumed stolen until :
Wed 23JUN21 , Camellia Garden development construction crews while clearing two twenty foot wide sewer line access to the existing sewer line along a 1200 foot Southern border , almost impossibly luckily, uncovered the previously assumed lost pole and dug the pole up and placed it in the cleared land out in the open. The construction crew was planning to haul it away the next morning to Foils . The second almost impossibly lucky event, that very same day, the very last person that I know of to hang the mail sack on this same post, Rick Higgins, was on the property after the workers had left and was looking for arrow heads, saw and recognized the pole and called me at 7:57 PM. Early the very next morning I contacted the construction crew supervisor and informed him of the historic nature of the pole and he said we could have it so I then called the town and told them of the importance of this pole to Harrisburg history and they sent a truck, trailer, men, and equipment to load it on the town trailer. The Town personnel then took it to Ted McCachren’s house for safe storage.
Wed 21FEB24 The 4,000 pound mail post " support base " had remained where the railroad had placed it upon its deactivation in 1964 until today when Cory Bohmont helped Southern Rail road in relocating it to the restored store and post office for safe keeping.
The Plan: The Town is to reinstall the mail post base at the store, Volunteers will straighten the three 1” x 8 base mounting bolts which was done Saturday 05APR2025 at the store using two portable oxy-acc units, borrow a 1x8 die to rethread the three mounting bolts, straighten the mail pole which has been done by Rodney and straighten the arms that held the mail sack also done by Rodney, then remount the pole with it hanging over the sidewalk at the restored store for demonstration purposes.
Items needed: Most of the work will be done off site by volunteers, the town will assist in the reinstalling the base. We do need a 1” x 8 straight die that John Lentz has agreed to loan us, not a pipe thread. Project volunteers : Rodney Harris, Cory Bohmont, Rick Higgins, others may be needed !
In safe place stored at Ted's house on Wednesday 21FEB2021. The Town of Harrisburg furnished the equipment and manpower to relocate from the Camellia field to here.
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