History
This was the Murrieta post office from 1940 until 1985.
Mrs. Rose Tarwater was appointed postmistress on June 9, 1936. She hired E.
Hale Curran as the clerk. At the time, the post office was located in the former A.K.
Small & Co. General Store. The old store had little light, and the roof leaked.
In October 1939, Rose Tarwater attended a National Association of Postmasters
Convention in Washington D.C. While she was there, she made a request to the
Assistant Postmaster General for a new post office building in Murrieta. Her request
was granted.
The lot chosen for the location of the new post office was on the northwest corner
of C Street and Washington Ave and owned by Jack Hamilton. Jack was a local
carpenter and he was hired to do the construction. The building was to be 700 square
feet, and the architectural style was Modern Minimal Traditional.
On July 1, 1940, the new post office opened for business. Rose Tarwater served
as postmistress for twenty-five years. She retired in 1961 and was succeeded by
Murrel C. Jensen. E. Hale Curran served for 30 and one half years and then retired on
December 30, 1966.
Because of the rapid population growth in the 1980s, a new larger post office was
needed. In 1985, the post office relocated to its present location on Washington
Ave, south of the old post office. Once closed, the building went into private hands
and has been used for a residence and businesses through the following years.
