The Old Post Office, also known as the Old Octagonal Post Office, is an historic

octagon In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, whi ...

-shaped former U.S.

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

building located on Main Street in

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. The town of Liberty boasts that the building, which was built in 1870, is "the only octagonal post office in the United States". The building, which "has all its original equipment" is now the home of the Liberty Historical Society, which opens it to the public on Saturdays during the summer.Maine Office of Tourism page on Liberty Historical Society
/ref> On June 19, 1973, it was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Description and history

The Old Post Office is located in Liberty's village center, set close to the south side of Main Street (

Maine State Route 173 State Route 173 (SR 173) is a route that stretches from the Lincolnville Ferry Terminal in Lincolnville at its southern end to SR 220 in Liberty at its northern end. The route is located in Waldo County. Route description SR 17 ...

), two doors east of the public library. It is a small single-story eight-sided wood-frame structure, covered by a low-pitch octagonal roof and clapboard siding. It has no foundation beyond a small amount of rubblestone to provide a level surface, and is built on top of hand-sawn beams measuring in cross section. The only entrance is in the street-facing facade, with sash windows in the other seven walls. Rufus Carter, a local harness maker, built this building in 1870 for use as his harness shop. In 1878 it was acquired by G.H. Cargill, who was then the town postmaster, and he put it to use as the local post office. It served as the town post office in 1960, and is now maintained as a museum by the local historical society. It is believed to be the only octagonal post office building in the nation.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Post office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Octagonal buildings in the United States Post office buildings in Maine Museums in Waldo County, Maine History museums in Maine Government buildings completed in 1870 National Register of Historic Places in Waldo County, Maine

Description and history

See also

References