Please not these are not my Calverts, I seen this on one of my Kansas
sights and thought I would share.
Carolyn S. Tharp-Joy
Taken from Sedan Times Star Pioneer and Progress Edition, 1941
FIRST POSTOFFICE AT WAUNETA SET UP IN SUMMER OF 1872
The establishment of the first post office at Wauneta was in August 5,
1872, and Moses Liebenberg was the first postmaster. The office was
called Fulda at the beginning and was located in Howard county, as the
area had not yet been divided at that time.
Ephraim A. Brown was appointed postmaster May 7, 1874 and Moses
Liebenberg was again appointed Sept. 2, 1875, at which time the county
became Chautauqua. Theodore A Calvert was appointed April 15, 1878,
Henry C. Mattocks on Feb.19, 1879, David E. Shartel on March 1, 1883.
The name was changed from Fulda to Wauneta on April 2, 1883.
Succeeding postmasters have been Harvey P. Moser, Edmund B. Hibbard,
Harry C. Iles, Joseph G. Depenbrink, William W. Black, Eli Sanborn,
Charles P. B. Knight, William R Rutledge, Grace E. Doty, appointed Oct.
15, 1928.
Our first post office (then called Fulda) was located about 1/2 mile
north of the present site, on what is known as the George Rutledge farm.
The postmaster, Mr. Liebenbert was also an early day merchant keeping a
stock of groceries in his home, as did a number of the other
postmasters.
Everett Mattocks of Sedan is the son of Henry C. Mattocks who served as
postmaster from Feb. 19, 1879 to Mar. 1. 1883, when David E. Shartel,
father of our present rural carrier Mark T. Shartel, was appointed
postmaster.
It was during Mr. Shartel's term of office that the name was changed
from Fulda to Wauneta, the latter name being chosen by Mrs. PETER
CALVERT. The location of the office has been changed several times, the
present location being used since 1915.
The mail was first brought to Fulda by horse and buckboard, Arlie Dennis
and Jake Lumly were early carriers.
Moore and Leggett are said to have been early stage drivers bringing
mail from Independence. The railroad was built in 1886 and the mail then
was brought by train. The first depot agent was Mr. Haney. The first
mail messenger carrying the mail from the depot, was Jim Heningway.
The present mail messenger, Mrs. R. B. Doty, has carried it since the
death of her husband in Jan. 1932, Mrs. Doty is the former Lissie Criss,
whose parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Criss homesteaded the farm now owned
by W. H. Goode in the Lowe neighborhood. She was born on that farm in
1882.
Our rural route was established in 1904 with Mark T. Shartel, as
carrier, he having served the entire time except a period from Feb. 1906
to Jan. 1911, when
Clyde M. Jolliffe served. We are told that John Christman had the first
drugstore here, altho an early resident doctor, D. G. Hahn also kept a
drugstore.
Through information from old timers we learn that Peter Calvert was our
first blacksmith.
Our first school building was completed in 1885 and Tom Ferguson was the
first teacher. The first teachers in our present school building were
Mr. and Mrs. Charley Sneed.
Among the other early families were the Badrauns, Wileys, Wilsons,
Wests, Bungarners, Huffs, Stansberrys, Myers, Pates, Leonards, Burdens,
Kinnamans, Witts, Applebys.
Present pastor of the Wauneta Methodist church is Mrs. O. B. Stark.
Present Depot agent is D. G. Burch.
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Copied by Freida (Null) Wells
October 25, 2004