Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Old Post Office Building on Saturday

The Old Sewickley Post Office Corporation (OSPOC) will play host this weekend to a special celebration in honor of the upcoming 100th anniversary of the .

The public is invited to join in the celebration of a century from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the old post office, now the headquarters of and the Sewickley Valley Historical Society.

Besides food and drink, the founders of the committee who stepped up in 1983 to save the building will be recognized, including Trudy Hetherington, Smokey Jack, Eliza Nevin, Alice Snyder, Bill Boyd, Jim Chaplin, Tom Potter, Joe Smith and others who assisted in the monumental undertaking.

History in numbers:

1911

In the autumn of 1911, 100 years ago, a  spanning the Ohio River at Sewickley had just been dedicated and opened to traffic in September, and everyone was looking forward to the completion of a new post office building with granite and limestone at the foot of Broad Street near the railroad station, under construction since July 1910. 

1912

The new post office opened for business on Jan. 29, 1912, and served the community for 69 years until 1981, when the construction of a new moved operations to the current Thorn Street location.

1983

The old building was vacant until local citizens seeking to preserve the structure acquired it in 1983. They called themselves the Old Sewickley Post Office Corporation (OSPOC) and proceeded to raise almost $1 million to refit the building to serve as a cultural center.

1988

The old post office opened in its new guise in November 1988 with and the Sewickley Valley Historical Society as tenants.

Since then, the continuing generosity of the community has enabled the Old Post Office Corporation to maintain the building, and the ongoing commitment of Sweetwater and the Historical Society ensures the building will continue to serve the community well into the future.

2012

The Old Sewickley Post Office Corporation has nominated the old Sewickley Post Office building to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and final approval is expected to commemorate the 100th anniversary celebration.