82R22999 MGR-D
By: Aliseda H.R. No. 1530
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of Poteet are celebrating the 125th
anniversary of their post office in 2011; and
WHEREAS, The town's namesake, Francis M. Poteet, was a
blacksmith who also ran a mercantile store in the area in the 1880s;
he began providing mail service to his customers and was granted a
station by U.S. Postal Service officials in 1886; he served as the
community's first postmaster and later sold his business to Henry
T. Mumme, who donated 400 acres of land for a new townsite and moved
the post office there; and
WHEREAS, The Poteet post office has benefited from the
leadership of 16 postmasters over the past 125 years; in addition to
Mr. Poteet and Mr. Mumme, they include Percy Herman, Andrew Coward,
Florence Burnham, Thomas E. Franklin, G. O. Gawthon, Charles B.
Myers, Elmo S. Wheeler, Roger W. Williams, Elizabeth H. Payne,
August E. Hooge, Mary Cooper, Alfredo Catala, Benito J. Mendoza,
and Ada M. Ennis; and
WHEREAS, Members of the Poteet Grange and the local chamber
of commerce have scheduled a series of events to be held throughout
the year in observance of the post office's anniversary; recent
programs involved a community unity gathering, ceremonies honoring
all Poteet postmasters, and historical presentations, and upcoming
events include a reception for Poteet citizens over the age of 80, a
competition for the oldest postmark cancellation, an antique show,
and a time capsule burial; and
WHEREAS, Through the years, the Poteet post office has served
generations of area Texans, and local citizens may indeed take
pride in the rich history of this venerable institution in their
community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 125th anniversary of the United
States Post Office in Poteet and extend to all those taking part in
the festivities sincere best wishes for a meaningful and memorable
anniversary year; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the U.S. Post Office in Poteet as an expression of high
regard by the Texas House of Representatives.