The Newbury Park Post Office was the first post office in the

Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It is located in the northwestern part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. Communities in the Conejo ...

, established on July 16, 1875, by the valley's first postmaster,

Egbert Starr Newbury Egbert Starr Newbury (September 8, 1843 – February 10, 1880) was the American founder of Newbury Park, California, and the first newspaper reporter in the Conejo Valley, located in Ventura County. Born and raised in Michigan, he moved to Califor ...

. The post office was originally located in a tent on Newbury's property, today's site of

Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is a performing arts center and city hall for the city of Thousand Oaks, California. Across Thousand Oaks Boulevard from Gardens of the World, the site is considered the downtown core of the city. City hall incl ...

. Egbert Starr Newbury and his wife Frances put the tent few feet from their home, providing local ranchers and their families with a site to pick up and drop off mail. Prior to the establishment of the post office, Conejo Valley residents had to ride a horse to Ventura to reach the nearest post office. The post office has had a variety of locations in the valley. It was first located at the current site of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and was relocated numerous times before ending up at the present site of The Oaks mall in 1891. William Knowlton moved it to the original site of the

Stagecoach Inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point (layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of tra ...

on Ventu Park Road in 1908, but it was moved to a 10-by-12 foot building at 1200 Newbury Road in 1942. It was moved to 1602 Newbury Road in 1968, and relocated to 3401 Grande Vista Drive in 2013. Although the post office changed locations multiple times, its name remained the same, which is why the Newbury Park city address is still used today.

History

moved with his wife and child from Santa Barbara to the

in 1874, where he built his home at the present day site of the

. As there was no official place to send or receive mail, Newbury decided to apply to the federal government for a post office. On July 16, 1875, the post office opened in a tent outside Newbury's home, and Newbury became the first postmaster in the Conejo Valley. When the stage company,

Coast Line Stage Company The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

, abandoned their route through Conejo Valley in 1876, mail was only a few times per week by various people on government contract. Following the devastating drought of 1876-77, the Newbury family left the Conejo Valley, and the location of the post office changed many times. For ten years it was located in the eastern end of the Conejo Valley, in the homes of various ranchers, however still called the Newbury Park Post Office. The Timberville Post Office was established in today's Newbury Park in 1888, in order to serve the small community of Timberville, centered around the Grand Union Hotel and the

Timber School Timber School was the first school in Newbury Park, California when established in 1889. and the current 1924 reconstructed Timber School is the oldest remaining school in the City of Thousand Oaks. It is also the oldest remaining public building ...

. As there were two post offices in the Conejo Valley in 1891, postmasters James Skelton of the east end and G. W. Hepner of the west end, petitioned to have both offices consolidated with a proposed location half-way between the two. An agreement was reached on June 21, 1893, and the chosen location for the combined post offices was on Richard Orville Hunt's Salto Ranch, near the present-day Lynn Road and Hillcrest Drive. The name "Newbury Park Post Office" was retained, and Mr. Hunt was the postmaster with his wife Mary Jane as his assistant. After 17 years on the Hunt Ranch near present-day

The Oaks mall The Oaks Mall is an enclosed shopping center in Gainesville, Florida. Its anchors include Belk, two Dillard's stores, J. C. Penney, and the University of Florida Health. The mall interior is one floor, but Belk and both Dillard's stores have ...

, it was moved in 1908 to a shop owned by William Knowlton located near Conejo Hotel on

Newbury Road Newbury Road is the main street in Newbury Park, California, and runs parallel to the U.S. Route 101 (Ventura Freeway). The road is named for the town’s founder, Egbert Starr Newbury. The historic Newbury Park Post Office has had several locati ...

. It was operated by William and his sister Sarah until 1924, when it moved into a tiny 10-by-12 foot structure at 1200 Newbury Road, with one electric light and no running water. For 29 years the post office remained at the same Newbury Road location, until 1953 when it was moved farther north up Newbury Road into larger quarters. A new post office building was erected at 1602 Newbury Road, where the office was dedicated on May 26, 1968. The post office moved from Stagecoach Plaza on

to a

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...

-owned annex in a business park at 3401 Grande Vista Drive on June 22, 2013.

Postmasters

List of Newbury Park postmasters: Egbert-Starr-Newbury-Founder-Newbury-Park

* July 16, 1875:

* August 21, 1877: James Bellah * December 19, 1878: Howard Mills * January 26, 1882: Jonathan Cutler * October 8, 1883: Ignatius Philbrook * 1885: James Skelton * November 25, 1891: Richard O. Hunt (land owner of Salto/ Lynn Ranch) * February 1, 1908: Wil Knowlton (uncle of

Reba Hays Jeffries Reba Marie Hays Jeffries (June 21, 1920 – August 13, 1989) was one of the founders of Newbury Park Chamber of Commerce and later its first female president. She was a prominent supporter of Newbury Park cityhood and opposed the annexation by ne ...

) * September 15, 1909: Sarah Knowlton * February 17, 1916: Sarah E. Patton * 1920: Wil Knowlton * February 16, 1921: Louise R. Browning * February 25, 1924: Lloyd V. Lewis * April 22, 1931: Christine E. Lewis * October 4, 1939: Willetta Brossard * May 27, 1940: Abram Hampton * October 24, 1942: Florence Hampton * December 31, 1958: Bertha Jones * September 4, 1962: Russell E. Jacobsen On January 8, 1972, the Newbury Park Post Office and the Thousand Oaks Post Office merged, and Russell E. Jacobsen was appointed postmaster for the two offices. Since then to the present, there have been nine postmasters in charge of the combined offices.Sprankling, Miriam and Ruthanne Begun (2012). '' Tales and Voices of the Conejo''. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Page 101. .

References

{{reflist, 40em Post office buildings in California History of Ventura County, California 1875 establishments in California Newbury Park, California Buildings and structures in Thousand Oaks, California Conejo Valley