History of Store & Post Office at Saulsville
The store at Saulsville was started by W R Shumate. It was originally
a wooden 2 story building located between what is now Ada Tolliver
home and son Murrell's home.
Tollison Shumate ran it also.
It was moved across the road from the present Ada Tolliver home
and was operated by Uriah Evans, Enoch Tolliver, Tollison Shumate,
W. R. Shumate & Daniel Shumate, Silas Goode, Garner &
Minnie Roles, Belva Clay, Ada Tolliver, Maxine Tolliver.
The first post offices in the new settlement was located in homes,
later in trading posts and stores. The first regular U. S. Mail
route coming into present day Wyoming County was extended from
Red Sulphur Springs, Monroe County thru what is now Saulsville
and on to Logan Court house in 1824. The mail, mostly letters,
were carried on horseback and in saddlebags with one trip per
week with a stop at the Cook settlement on Clear Fork, designated
? and kept by Thomas Cooke Sr in his home.
A second mail route was established between Jeffersonville, Tazewell
County VA and Oceana, Wyoming County, tis route followed the old
Shawnee Indian Trail across Barkers Ridge. Also, about 1880 existing
routes were extended to supply an office at Cedarsburg(Otsego)
about 2 miles above the mouth of Cedar Creek and another established
at Basin(Barkers Ridge). About 1900 a mail route was established
between Joe's Branch(below Itmann) & Jumping Branch, Summers
County, with offices at Basin, Egeria, Odd, and Flat Top as Raleigh
County supplied mail from Hinton.
Before 1881, settlers living in the Low Gap, Wolf Gap, Bower Ridge
& Wash Short areas had no post office. If they had letters
to mail or expected any mail, they had to travel to New Found
on Bearhole, up to Buchannons place, through Wash Short up Black
Fork to Eury Evans (old Dave Bower place) across head of Still
Run, to Cedarburg(Otsego), up Cedar Creek, etc.... and on to the
Raleigh County Courthouse.
By 1881 there were many families in the Saulsville area, so a
post office was established at the old Dave Bowers place in Twin
Falls Park through Geo M. Cook, postmaster of Cedarsburg. After
some time the post office was moved to Enoch Tollivers home on
upper Black Fork and was there until Tollison Shumate built his
store where it remained through various postmasters, first W.
R. Shumate then his brother Daniel then back to W. R. then onto
sister Minnie and her husband Garner Roles until about 1934 when
Belva Clay took over until her death in 1941 then to Belva's sister
Ada and her husband Dan Tolliver then onto daughter in law Maxine
'Toots' Carter Tolliver
The earliest mail carriers for Saulsville were James Sauls, who
made 2 round trips each week. Peter Snuffer of Crab Orchard was
the second carrier, James R Cook was the third.
Saulsville Post Office was established on October 24, 1881. Below
is a list of the postmasters between the date of establishment
and October 10, 1909:
George W Cook October 24, 1881
Wiley Sizemore June 18, 1888
Uriah Evans July 9, 1892
F. E. Saxton July 6, 1893
Appointment Order Rescinded October 10, 1894
W. R. Shumate August 15, 1903
Silas Phillips September 14, 1903
Enoch Tolliver February 12, 1906
Post Office Discontinued August 28, 1907
Post Office Reinstated October 2, 1909
William R. Shumate October 2, 1909
Daniel Shumate May 20, 1914
William R Shumate October 21, 1919
Miss Belva Clay August 1, 1934
Confirmed September 13, 1934
Ada M Tolliver November 12, 1941
Confirmed January 31, 1942
Saulsville Post Office discontinued on February 29, 1960 - Mail
to McGraws
After 1960 the post office was designated a sub station and all
functions continued with a contract passing between Patricia Tolliver
and Maxine 'Toots' Tolliver.
The final contract, still under Toots' contract, was given up
by her son Douglas in1997 and all mails where readdressed for
rural delivery through either McGraws or Maben.
