While going through newspapers from the past I found the story about a retiring mail carrier in 1957 and that retirement was of the carrier who at one time delivered mail to the home I lived in with my parents and sisters on Route 3, once known as Gooseheaven Road.
This carrier was Frank L. Miller and his retirement brought to a close 57 years of mail service by his family.
Frank’s career began as a village carrier in 1923. His father, Olan Miller, was one of the first carriers when rural free delivery was inaugurated in 1910. Frank subbed for his father in 1919 and in 1932 he succeeded a cousin, Ora Miller, as carrier on Route 3. He served as village carrier for nine years before taking Route 3 for 12 years and transferred to Route 1 in 1944.
Although Frank used an automobile during his period of service as rural carrier he recalled the old time mail wagon was still in use when he was called to substitute for his father. Frank served under three postmasters, Warren Smiley, J. G. Mills and Paul D. Fleming.
Miller was a World War I veteran and active with the American Legion and the Auxiliary Patrol.
I mention this because there is a dedication to the post office by its employees and I see that dedication on those weather days when most of us hesitate to step outdoors.
I learned from Mike Long current Cardington Postmaster, that there are 650 daily in town deliveries; with one carrier; and 2400 rural deliveries by four rural carriers. There are two rural substitutes and one city substitute.
I also talked to Richard Hack, who retired as a city carrier September 1, 1999, after serving for 31 years. He said his route covered 600 deliveries a day. This in-town delivery number remains stable.
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat or gloom of night stops these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Still appropriate today.
80 years ago, 1940: Cardington’s only two leap year babies, Mrs. Mellie Gist and Carl Fowble, celebrated their “eleventh anniversaries on the 29th of February although both were 48 years old.
70 years ago, 1950: Mt Gilead and Marion Army Engineer’s Depot battled a $75,000 fire at the Gandee Bakery, 124 W. Main Street on February 21. The 70- X 150-foot building which was gutted, was the largest independent wholesale bakery in central Ohio and employed 15 people.
A total of 100,000 gallons of water pumped onto the fire. Twenty residents of the adjacent Hotel Wornstaff removed their personal belongings when it appeared the fire may spread. It was Cardington’s first major fire in over 20 years.
