A page from the official register, U. S. Appointments of Postmasters, showing some of the appointments of postmasters in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The bottom line indicates that Josiah Bowman Jr. was appointed postmaster of Lykens on January 28, 1857.
Lykenstown, as Lykens was known locally, was laid out in 1848 in Wiconisco Township by Edward Gratz, but a post office was not established with the town name until 1857.
Prior to the establishment of the post office at Lykens, the post office for the same area was called Wiconisco. Postmaster records for Wiconisco go back as far as April 23, 1835, when Henry Shrafer was appointed postmaster, and quickly followed in May 1835 by the appointment of two men, Simon Girty and George Alenson as co-postmasters. Going forward in the Wiconisco records, the name Josiah Bowman can be found with an appointment made on October 11, 1843 along with M. Sauser serving as co-postmasters. The Josiah Bowman who served Wiconisco was the father of Josiah Bowman Jr. who served as the first postmaster of Lykens.
The above map from 1858 shows two possible locations of the first post office (red dots), both on Main Street in the same block in properties owned by “J. Bowman.” Additional research is needed to confirm the exact location, but typically during that time period, the post office was located in the business or in the home of the postmaster.
However, as the above enlargement of the 1858 map shows, there is a “P. O.” designation (red dot) on the north side of Main Street. And, as stated in an article that appeared in the Lykens Standard, August 12, 1932, the first post office was located next door to the Union House, designated on the map as “Off” (red dot) on the south side of Main Street.
In the 1860 census, Josiah Bowman gave his occupation as “broker.” He was living in Lykenstown with his wife Eliza Bowman, age 24, and two children, Kate Bowman, age 7, and Anna Bowman, age 5.
In the Business Directory, shown lower right on the map above, Josiah Bowman Jr. is named as a resident without noting a specific business. However, by the time this map was published, the duties of postmaster had already been turned over to Jonas Garman, who was appointed as the second postmaster of Lykens. Garman is named as postmaster and his name appears in the left column of the directory along with his business: Dealer in Drugs and Medicines, Books and Stationery and Seeds.
When Jonas Garman took over as postmaster, the post office was located in his place of business, which was on the east side of town and on the north side of Main Street. The enlarged cut from the 1862 map shows that the post office location is identified on the map.
Josiah Bowman‘s residence in 1862 is noted on the map cut above. Referring back to the 1858 map where there are four possible location for the first Lykens Post Office, it is possible that the westernmost J. Bowman property was the post office and the other J. Bowman property belonged to Josiah’s father, who by the 1860 Census had moved to Millersburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1863.
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As can be seen from the 1860 Census for Lykens, Jonas Garman was 32 years old, a druggist by occupation, married to Martha Garman, age 26, with one son Samuel Garman, age 3. Garman served as postmaster during most of the Civil War years, completing his duties by October 7, 1866, when Josiah Bowman was again appointed as postmaster of Lykens.
During the Civil War years the post office was the central communications point in Lykens. There was no home delivery, so all incoming mail had to be picked up at the post office. No doubt thousands of letters and packages passed through Garman’s Drug Store Post Office and were personally postmarked by Garman himself.
In the 1870 Census for Lykens, after he was no longer postmaster, Garman was still in business in Lykens as a druggist. Two additional children were in the family, as is also a household servant, Martha Robinson, age 20.
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The re-appointment of Josiah Bowman as postmaster in 1866, was not without controversy as can be noted from an item that appeared in the Lykens Register, November 24, 1866:
Josiah Bowman, who received the appointment of postmaster of this place from President Johnson, appointed R. G. Stewart as substitute postmaster. Bitter protests are entered against the appointment and the change of location of the office. Mr. Jonas Garman was an efficient postmaster and the office was centrally located.
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On May 10, 1869, Robert G. Stewart was appointed postmaster at Lykens. Stuart was a retail merchant whose business was located at the corner of Main Street and Pine Street. Stewart was an immigrant from England. He was born about 1821 and died on April 25, 1881.
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The next available map was published in 1876. It identifies the location of the post office as on the southwest corner of Main Street and Pine Street (red dot). At the time the map was published, John L. Shaud, a disabled Civil War veteran, was the Lykens postmaster. Following his discharge on a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability (SCD), he applied for an invalid pension on May 20, 1864. He received the pension and collected it until his death which occurred on September 17, 1891. Shaud is found in the 1880 census for Lykens where he gives “post master” as his sole occupation. And, in the 1890 Census, he revealed his disability as “wounded in head.” At this time it is not known if John Shaud carried on any other business at this location or if postmaster was his sole occupation.
Postmasters of Lykens and appointment dates, 1857-1957:
| Josiah Bowman Jr. | January 28, 1857 |
| Jonas Garman | May 4, 1861 |
| Josiah Bowman Jr. | October 7, 1866 |
| Robert G. Stewart | May 10, 1869 |
| John L. Shaud | December 3, 1871 |
| H. S. Young | June 26, 1880 |
| Walter S. Young | July 13, 1880 – reappointed December 31, 1883 |
| Henry K. Meyers | January 7, 1886 |
| Jacob Alvord | August 9, 1889 –reappointed January 25, 1893 |
| Milton F. Moyer | January 28, 1897 |
| Henry Feindt | February 8, 1901 |
| Charles A. Hoff | June 18, 1913 |
| Claude W. Keiser | October 23, 1923 – reappointed January 13, 1928 & June 10, 1932 |
| Walter E. Snyder | June 16, 1936 |
| Catherine M. Golden | July 10, 1940 |
| Harry S. Kolva | February 21, 1957 – reappointed July 2, 1958 |
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Census records and postmaster appointment records obtained through Ancestry.com. Map cuts from the Pennsylvania Archives.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.