Stumble Upon One of the Smallest Post Offices in America
If you decide to hike through the Blue Ridge Mountains while visiting Asheville, North Carolina you may just trip over a tiny rustic shed in the shadow of Whiteside Mountain.
Although you may think you’ve stumbled upon the makeshift home of a modern hermit or a well-preserved homestead from colonial times, the ruin is a relic of what was once the smallest post office in the United States. Don’t be afraid to let curiosity get the best of you if you find yourself face to face with this amazing building. As you approach this tiny eight by eleven-foot building and place your foot on the weatherbeaten boards you’ll see the humble home of the only outside contact the tiny town of Cashiers had with the outside world for nearly half of a century. Although little remains besides a few old chairs and a tattered American flag if you stand quietly and listen to the wind blow through the nearby mountain valleys it may hearken you back to a much simpler time or at the very least help appreciate the modern convenience of communication we get today. Visiting the Grimshaw Post Office would be the perfect detour if you decide to join us for our CEC CME conference in Asheville this year. The structure is in the vicinity of numerous beautiful trails which cut through mountains and weave by many sparkling streams and waterfalls. It would be the perfect place to sit in the shade and catch your breath if you’re a hiker or interested in the local history of the region.
Much like the structure itself the history of Grimshaw Post Office was almost lost to the passage of time. The area where the tiny shack now stands was first settled by Thomas Grimshaw an English immigrant who bought large swathes of land in the area in the 1870s. Grimshaw fell in love with the local wildlife and beautiful scenery and set up a large estate for his family. The rivers and ponds teemed with trout which brought many fishermen to the area looking to spend a lazy day catching the glittering fish as they leaped from the water. Capitalizing on the demand, Grimshaw constructed small cabins and rented them to fishermen who shared in his love for the scenery. Besides the cabins, the tiny post office was made to serve the needs of his guests and began operation in 1878 with his wife Elizabeth serving as the first postmaster. In 1909 the Grimshaw family sold the land and the company to a man named Warren Alexander. Alexander grew up in the area and had fond memories of visiting the Grimshaw Estate as a child and fishing in the mountain streams. After making enough money out West he decided to move back to his old home and settle down. The Alexander family continued in the footsteps of the previous residents with Alexander’s wife Lena serving as the second postmaster.
The operations of the post office began to expand to meet the needs of many local families. The tiny population coupled with its mountainous geography made the area a challenge for telegraphs and later phone lines. The only way for local farming families to get news from the outside world or to conduct business with their buyers and suppliers was through the tiny Grimshaw Post Office. Despite its modest size mail was delivered twice a day by horseback to the tiny shack and picked up by locals on their way to and from home. Visitors could even boast to their friends back home by sending a postcard from the smallest post office in the country and receive their letter, newspaper, or package just about as quickly as anywhere else in the nation. The Grimshaw Post Office was in service until 1953 when it was closed down under the Eisenhower administration under a law that required mail to be delivered to the homes of all American Residents thus ending the need and constraint of post offices such as this one.
Although it was decommissioned the building got a second life as a ticket booth when it was relocated from the old Grimshaw estate to the top of Whiteside mountain. Hikers could even buy postcards just like the old days. After the land was sold to the government the structure sat vacant for many years. Hikers even began prying old boards off the side and using them for firewood. Luckily an effort made by local residents in the 1990s relocated the building to its current location just off of NC Highway 107 and restored the building to its current state where it can be appreciated today.
If you still have the spirit of adventure in you after seeing this small piece of American history you could always visit the nearby Zachery Tolbert House, an amazing mid-nineteenth century Greek revival estate, or simply hike slowly back. Who knows you may just stumble upon another piece of American history along your way.
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