Small Town Post Office in Indiana

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Here is another photograph from the small town of Hamlet, Indiana. I thought that the post office was interesting. There is a mural on the side of the building showing the history of innovations in the methods used to transport and deliver mail. The paintings show an airplane, a mail truck, and the Pony Express. Small town post offices in Indiana often have a lot of individual character, unlike the plain, ugly, modern-looking post offices in big cities like Fort Wayne.

Photo was made with a 50mm tabbed Summicron, Tri-X at EI-200 developed normally in PMK.

 

[ornate_wrasse]

Very nice Chris!

I just love the look of images that were developed in PMK.

Ellen

 

[tj01]

Chris, I love it that you post places that might seem everyday to you, but it's all foreign to most of us. And the way you describe these places and their character.

 

[fidget]

Chris, I enjoy seeing your images of out-of-the-way places. This is a fair example, although for my tastes, the bland sky does not help this image.

Dave..

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Chris, I enjoy seeing your images of out-of-the-way places. This is a fair example, although for my tastes, the bland sky does not help this image.

Dave..

The sky is just Indiana. Its usually like that here.

This isn't a photograph that stands on its own as a 'great picture' as some of my others do. I do documentary work meant to be seen as a whole project and some images serve to fill in the story.

 

[Michael Markey]

Chris, I love it that you post places that might seem everyday to you, but it's all foreign to most of us. And the way you describe these places and their character.

I agree ....love the series .
As to the sky .... well where Dave and myself come from the sky is usually cloudy with rain.Clear skies are unusual 🙂

 

[bigeye]

I like the "How our Postal Service Has Advanced" theme - charming and ironic. It's interesting to see the other comments.

I often wonder how much a photograph's appeal is attributable to being of a strange or beautiful subject (e.g. can a semi-competent fashion photographer fail?). That a photograph can be artistic and documentary (reality-into-art) is very attractive stuff.

- Charlie

 

[Rayt]

I grew up in small town America and our post office was smaller than that. Thanks for posting the photo Chris. Sure brings back memories. Pass the roach and the Dew...

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I grew up in small town America and our post office was smaller than that. Thanks for posting the photo Chris. Sure brings back memories. Pass the roach and the Dew...

Like this one?

Outside of the post office in Ora, Indiana

Inside of the post office in Ora, Indiana

Orais just a crossroads with a post office, a church, and a few houses. The post office doesn't deliver, residents go to pick up their mail themselves.

 

[nikon_sam]

Chris,

I love the fact that you are able to photograph these buildings (Post Offices)...
And that you were bold enough to go inside and get a shot of the lady inside...
Now, if I had tried that at the Post Office down the street it wouldn't turn out so good...
What you get to experience by living in a small or smaller town is so much different than most folks...that is one of the things I miss when I used to travel alot...

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Chris,

I love the fact that you are able to photograph these buildings (Post Offices)...
And that you were bold enough to go inside and get a shot of the lady inside...
Now, if I had tried that at the Post Office down the street it wouldn't turn out so good...
What you get to experience by living in a small or smaller town is so much different than most folks...that is one of the things I miss when I used to travel alot...

Photographing post offices is perfectly legal. I did ask the postmaster's permission before photographing her. She was cool with it

 

[blw]

I love the murals, but man that is a case of remuddling if I've ever seen it! All that wood siding has replaced original glass storefront-type windows. I bet it's dark and claustrophobic inside that PO.

I love the Ora PO photos. Enjoy them while they last though....with annual losses in the millions, a lot of the little ones without rural routes are going to go away I fear. We'll lose a few here in my own county in NC before too many more years.

 

[dave lackey]

Like this one?

Outside of the post office in Ora, Indiana

Inside of the post office in Ora, Indiana

Orais just a crossroads with a post office, a church, and a few houses. The post office doesn't deliver, residents go to pick up their mail themselves.

Just like the PO in my little town where I grew up...😎

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Just like the PO in my little town where I grew up...😎

I bet they built that same building in little towns all over the country. I know of at least one more in northern Indiana. Its in a town called Athens, about 45 minutes east of Ora.

 

[lynnb]

I like seeing those small-village official buildings - the post office in Ora, particularly. Thanks for posting, Chris. Buildings like these are rapidly disappearing in rural Australia, too.