200 Years of History
By R. Richard Willis
This Post Office was named after the Central Railroad Station At Nolan's Point.
The early development of our country's mail has been delivered by many strange ways. Pony Express, stagecoach, foot, railway, trains, and boats. Here at Lake Hopatcong, our mail arrived in the early days by train at Landing station and by way of the Morris Canal. It then traveled up the lake by Steamboats to a post office located on the grounds of the Lake View Hotel. This hotel was located on the south shore of Great Cove, and Mr. Fred Zuck was the postmaster and owner of the hotel.
This post-office was eventually moved across Great Cove to Nolan's Point. Mr. Frank Schaffer built a new post office, and it was located near the present Jefferson House Restaurant's main parking lot. Mr. Charles Edwards was post-master; his sister Annie was his assistant. When the post office's business became too great for this small building, a new location was secured. This time around, it was at the point near Allen's Pavilion. At times in the Pavilion and sometimes in a shared building, this postal building shared its location with the souvenir store owned by Mr. William Richards.
Post cards and other souvenirs could be bought from Mrs. Richards, who ran the souvenirs store; and her husband would sell the stamps, then mail the cards and other items also. For many years, the mail still was delivered by boat. Wm. Richards was also railroad stationmaster for the Central Railroad of New Jersey and their head telegrapher.
In 1894, Allen's Hotel burned and so did the post office/souvenir store. When the hotel was rebuilt, all the surrounding buildings including the post office were rebuilt. Again, tragedy struck in 1919; and the hotel and all out buildings including the post office were destroyed by fire. A new hotel was built, but this one didn't burn. In the late 1940's, there was a blizzard and the building collapsed. The post office was in this building. The reconstructed building is the current Windlass Restaurant.
Since tavern business was seasonal, the post-office which was located in Crater's Tavern in the summer, would be re-located in the winter to the front porch of his home located on #5 Nolan's Point Road. After the tavern was sold, the post office remained at #5 Nolan's Point Road.
The mail for most of Lake Hopatcong's residents funneled through the Lake Hopatcong Post Office, even mail for part of west shore (now Glasser, NJ post office). In earlier times, Northwood was a summer community and didn't have enough mail patrons for even a part-time post office. Mr. Glasser, who operated a general store in Northwood, would come over to the Lake Hopatcong Post Office at Nolan's Point and pick up the mail for all the people that surrounded his general store.
When Northwood accumulated enough people for a part-time seasonal office, the Post Master General was approached. The Post Master General said that there were to many "North-woods " in New Jersey, so he sent his inspectors to come up with a name. All the mail for Northwood was being addressed "in care of Mr. Glasser" who was picking up the mail at Nolan's Point. It was decided that the Post Office in Northwood would be called "Glasser", it's was the only post office at the time named for a person.
Some of the Postmasters were: Mr.'s Fred Zuck; Frank Crater Sr.; William Hockenjos Jr.; Thomas James Willis who served from December 15, 1927-1931 under President Calvin Coolidge and January 20, 1932-1936 under President Herbert Hoover. Frank Crater Jr. had the post office in the old Railroad Station or at his tavern. Then Mrs. Edva Decker Crater, Frank's wife, was post-mistress and the post office was on her front porch. Mrs. Alice Bowen was the next post-mistress, and she conducted postal business on her front porch also. Her house was located on the corners of Espanong and Mase Road.
In 1958, Mrs. Margaret (Chicky) Spencer was then post-mistress; and she conducted postal business from her husband's Sport Center. You could buy postage and live bait etc. So if you wanted to mail the fish, stamps would be affixed and it was mailed. Eventually the office was across the road in an old summer bungalow. On April 10, 1966, the new brick building was built by the Spencer's and remained in use until the new one was constructed on Route 15 South.
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