Roanoke Route Walking Tour Stop 13: 'Miss Ida's' Post Office

‘Miss Ida’s’ Post Office, 1912

101 N. Oak St.

The post office was constructed in 1912 by postmistress Ida Cowan after she had endured years of robberies and fires at the town’s first post office. ‘Miss Ida’ built the structure to be practically fireproof. 

Miss Ida became postmistress in 1910. She succeeded her father, William Cowan, who had held the position since 1898 and who had started the first rural route out of Roanoke in 1902. Miss Ida served 37 years, and her gravestone epitaph says, “Any mail, Miss Ida?” 

The city stopped using this building in 1962, and the original structure was torn down in 1980. Later, when the replacement building was a residence, a second story was added.   

Miss Ida Cowan built the post office right after the fire of 1910 and right before the explosion of 1912. It replaced the original post office, which may have been located where the Old Fire Station is today. 

Roanoke Post Office staff circa 1915. Rural carrier C.A. Cowan–who was Miss Ida’s brother–is shown with his red chain-drive Studebaker; local shoe cobbler Jim Seagraves; rural carrier Charlie Fanning, who drove a horse-and-buggy at the time; postmistress Miss Ida Cowan and rural carrier Henry Howe, both riding in Mr. Howe’s new Model T Ford he bought at Christmas 1912.

The Roanoke Post Office was robbed in 1916, and the Denton Record-Chronicle gave all the details, including a posse that searched for the thieves all night. A few weeks later the newspaper reported an indictment against Ed Cisco for the robbery.