Brookfield Post Office Established in 1860

The Brookfield Post Office was established Aug. 1, 1860 under the administration of President James Buchanan. James Tooey, an early merchant here, was the first postmaster. The post office was in Mr. Tooey’s general store.

It was a fourth class office until the early 1880’s when it became a third class office. The class of an office is based on the sale of stamps and not the amount of money that goes through the office. In 1899 it became a second class office and reached first class status in 1945.

The first government building was occupied in 1915. Rural free delivery and city carrier service was established in 1907; parcel post in 1912; and air mail service became available in 1918. A.M. (Pike) Kinney, Bill Brott, Marsh Johnson and others on the rural routes fought muddy roads and many hazards through the winter. The routes have now been lengthened and most roads are concrete or graveled.

Walter T. Snow followed James Tooey as postmaster, being appointed by Abraham Lincoln. Other postmasters were:

In 1966 the present post office was dedicated. Stanley Brown was appointed postmaster in 1975 after the death of Emmet Carey.

Early Linn County had many villages or towns, each with a post office, born of necessity, only living a few years or more. Some of these were Haynesville, Eversonville, Enterprise, Northcott, Sedgwick, Garfield, Grantsville, Rose Dale, Wyandotte, Thayer, Shelby, West Baltimore, Bottsville (later Meadville), Sherman, Center Point, North Salem, Orlando, Segago and Orlando. These villages were mostly located in the upper two thirds of Linn County, none south of Brookfield.