Getzville Post Office reaches 150th anniversary

Susan Maurer enjoys a piece of cake at the Getzville Post Office while making a stop to mail a package during the office’s 150th anniversary. A line of 15 formed behind her during this busy mailing season. Photo by John Rusac

On Sunday, Dec. 10 the Getzville Post Office marked its 150th anniversary, and a celebration was held on Monday.

Postmaster Sharron O’Neill said the office honored the legacy with a daylong customer appreciation event, including treating those who stopped in to a piece of cake.

“Even though it is a busy mail time, it has been 150 years and we want to celebrate that,” she said.

The current location, 2655 Millersport Highway, opened in 1996. Prior to that, the Getzville Post Office had a few other homes.

The first postmaster of the Getzville Post Office was George Hoover, according to “A History of the Town of Amherst, N.Y.” written by Sue Miller Young.

Other past postmasters include Jeremiah C. Lamphier, who served from 1858 to 1878, and John Kobel, who had the post office in his grocery store when he was postmaster. Kobel was succeeded by George Hausauer, who kept the post office at the same place. Joseph Bucher was named postmaster in 1887

and again moved the post office, this time to his grocery store. It remained there through the terms of Frank L. Bucher and Eugene G. Bucher.

For more than 50 years the post office moved from site to site (not always convenient to Getzville) until it found a home in the Getzville Railroad Station in 1909. Upon the settlement, Arthur Kimball was named postmaster. That remained the location for 31 years.

Anna L. Hausauer, who became Mrs. George Kenyon, was the first postmistress. She served until 1942 until Wallace G. Clare was appointed in 1964.

A new post office opened on Campbell Boulevard in 1963 and was led by Walter Fitzgerald.

A second Campbell Boulevard location was built in the Getzville Plaza. During its 125th anniversary, 1981, Ronald Bubb, was serving as postmaster.

There are some conflicting stories about the first post office but reports from The Amherst Bee in 1981 said Jacob Getz owned land in 1854 that included a large building that served as a store, social hall, and later a post office. It also named him as the first postmaster.