This house was once Oxford’s post office and simultaneously the home of its postmistress Molly Stewart, the first female postmistress in the United States. Molly was just 18-years old when she succeeded her father in 1877. She would continue to serve for 63 years, but it wasn’t a smooth ride.
To tell her story we must go back to the presidential election of 1928 which was won by the Republican Herbert Hoover. His landslide victory brought many Republican candidates into office with him. One of these was Senator Phillips Goldsborough. In those days if you helped someone get elected you got a patronage job – not much different from today. George Dawson, of Oxford, helped the Senator’s campaign and was to be rewarded with the postmaster job at Oxford. The President automatically approved but Miss Molly did not want to give up her job. As the story goes, she took the train to Washington, went to the Senate and pleaded her case. She explained that she was appointed by a Republican, Rutherford B Hayes in 1877, so if she was going to lose her job it should be by a civil service exam. Goldsborough decided to humor the old lady and hold an exam.
Several people sat for the exam, including Miss Molly and George Dawson. Miss Molly got the highest score and George flunked. This upset the senator and it was decided to appoint Miss Molly as interim for one year and then have another exam. A year went by and a new exam was held. Miss Molly again got the highest score but George finally passed. It looked like he might be postmaster after all. However, Maryland’s second senator was Senator Joseph Tydings, an icon of the state’s Democratic party. He realized he could lend Molly a helping hand and cause some embarrassment for the Republicans at the same time. Tydings announced that if Dawson’s name came up for confirmation, he would lead a battle against it. His fellow democrats alerted the newspapers around the country of the Republican efforts to kick an old lady from her job as postmaster in some village that no one ever heard of. So, with the economy slipping into recession and the backlash from the story growing, the Republicans decided to let Miss Molly keep her job. She did just that, retiring in 1940 after serving a record 63 years in her post. Afterward, she had tea with Mrs. Roosevelt at the White House.
Our next stop is #309 North Morris Street, which is on the west side of the street. (Stop #8)
