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Postmasters Village a community with history
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Postmasters Retirement Village was a real estate development designed for members of the National League of Postmasters. When formed, the development listed its address as Lake Geneva, but it actually sits on Lake Hutchinson's shores, off S.R. 214.
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An undated Postmasters Village promotional brochure from several decades ago lists the lakefront one-acre sites for $3,500, with a 5 percent discount if you paid cash.
Other sites with no lake frontage could be had for as little as $684 with cash payments. You had to contact Al Ellis in West Pawlet, Vermont, to make a $10 down payment on a lot, with $10 monthly payments thereafter.
Today, there is only one mobile home in the subdivision, and that one was grandfathered in. Nearby, Postmasters Village II was designed to accommodate mobile homes.
Residence in the subdivision was once available only to postmasters; property could not be sold to someone who hadn't worked for the U.S. Postal Service and could not be transferred to heirs. According to current resident David Golder, that was challenged in court and by now, residency is open to anyone.
Ann Rains-formerly Ann Baker-doesn't remember any court action, and thinks maybe the tradition of exclusion simply died out as postmasters sold or willed their property to civilians. She does know that the Postmasters Village idea came from her brother-in-law William Baker, who headed up the Lake Geneva mail branch for many years.
Retired postmasters Cliff Elder, Art Osmond and Roger Rich were among the first to build and move into the community, Rains said.
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©Bradford County Telegraph 2010
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