Photo of the Week, 57: Dedication of the Normal Post Office, 1936

On March 1, 1936, several hundred area residents gathered for the
dedication of the Normal Post Office, located at 200 West North Street.
Paid for with Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds, this building
was one of many local New Deal projects designed to boost the
Depression-era economy.
The ceremony included a talk by Illinois State Normal University President Raymond W. Fairchild
(seen here on the front steps), and briefer remarks by Postmaster
Thomas B. Raycraft and Normal Mayor Grant M. Ridenour. “Over its
counters," Mayor Ridenour said of the new post office, “will flow the
messages of the social and economic life of our community for years to
come." This 78-year-old post office, a landmark in Uptown Normal, is
still open for business.
Look for more information on the
Normal Post Office in the upcoming Sunday, March 9 Pantagraph, when the
Museum's weekly “A Page from Our Past" column will examine the history
of the New Deal-funded mural inside this building.