KAWARTHA LAKES-In nineteenth century Ontario, a post office was among the first government institutions in any new settlement—many villages received their present name when they became a post office town. The Fenelon Falls Post Office was established on August 6, 1838, with James Wallis as the first postmaster—he owned the village in partnership with Robert Jameson and built Maryboro Lodge. When the post office was first created, it might take weeks, for letters or parcels to arrive, especially if they had to cross the Atlantic.
In 1844, William Powles became the first full-time postmaster of the village. At about the same time, the post office moved to Colborne Street, being located where the Trentside Baptist Church manse is now, later moving to the vicinity of present-day Red Apple. In 1852, weekly mail service was established with Lindsay and by 1865, it was forwarded to Fenelon Falls by “horseback, cutter, waggon, or sleigh, at the option of the contractor,” being the contract postmaster. In this era, the post office also served as a rudimentary bank, keeping cash on hand, with authorization to pay or grant money orders. In 1916, the post office (Red Apple) burned, and moved across the street to the McArthur House. While the post office was in this location, post office boxes were introduced—Foster Kelly was P.O. Box 1, Fenelon Falls.
When Mel Sheehey started as a Fenelon Falls mail carrier in 1917 at age 22, he was delivering mail to about 250 households with a horse and buggy, or cutter in winter. In 1920, he upgraded to a Model-T Ford. In the nineteenth century, the post office was a significant local landmark, and by the first half of the twentieth century, a beautiful government building was often constructed—typically red brick—as a visible symbol of the community’s progress. In 1935, a public ceremony, complete with a band announced the laying of the cornerstone of the striking new post office at the corner of Francis Street and Colborne Street (now the CIBC). The new post office included a clock tower, making it one of the most conspicuous buildings in town.
As happened in many other settlements, the beautiful main street post office had shortcomings when it came to parking—both for postal staff and customers—as well as floorspace, prompting a move to a side street. The new structure was another well-built, red brick building, but it was not designed as the prominent public building to represent the community’s pride. As the post office moved to its new location in 1968, Mel Sheehey was still delivering rural mail. He would retire from Rural Route 2, Fenelon Falls after 62 years, which was said to be a record for rural delivery. Roy Jones, who started three years after him, would retire from Rural Route 1 after 59 years. Glen Godier, a Fenelon Falls Secondary School Student photographed the post office in December 1969—note how the trees have grown in the foreground, and the expansion of the library/municipal building in the background.
This story is part of our partnership with Maryboro Lodge, The Fenelon Falls Museum and was written by Glenn Walker.
If you want to make a donation to the museum, you can e-transfer to:Â [email protected] or mail a cheque to :
Maryboro Lodge Museum
Box 179
50 Oak Street
Fenelon Falls, ON
K0M 1N0
