United States Post Office, Carson City Nevada

Date added: August 04, 2017 Categories: Nevada Post Office Library
June 1940

On January 5S 1885, the United States Senate passed a bill appropriating $100,000 for a public building in Carson City. Nevada Senators Stewart and Nye were largely responsible for the appropriation, and on page 278 of his Reminiscences, Stewart notes that he "prevented the conversion of the Mint into a public building and secured mandatory legislation with an appropriation for the construction of the present Government Building at the capital." Several citizens of Carson City were then appointed as a commission to select an- appropriate site for the building. A protracted search, ensued, during which, time the not too distant city of Reno offered a Block appraised at $30,000 if the Building would be located there. Some three years after the original appropriation, work vas begun.

Upon completion, the building was occupied by the Post Office, land office, United States Courts, and the Weather Bureau. In all, sixteen rooms were assigned to various agencies. As might be expected, the occupant most involved with affairs of a historic nature was the United States Court. Perhaps the most noted events the building witnessed were the trials relating to shortages in the refinery at the United States Mint: "U.S. vs. Heney, James," December 1895, "U.S. vs. Jones, John T.," May I896, and "U.S. vs. Piper, Henry,", March, 1896. The details of the trials are dealt with in the book Mint Mark "CC". Suffice it to say here that the trials were conducted in the U.S. Federal Court presided over by Judge Thomas P. Hawley, and that all three men, former Mint employees, were found guilty. In all, some $75,000 had been taken from the Mint vaults.

The last Federal Judge to preside in the new building was Bruce R. Thompson, whose court moved to Reno in 19&5. The building ceased to serve the last of its original functions on September 20, 1970 as the new Carson City Post Office was opened the same day.