Historical information

The Old Post Office Store was established in 1850 at 191-193 Main Street Bacchus Marsh. In 1863 Thomas Taubman was the house and store owner and storekeeper. In 1866 he opened a branch of the Savings Bank at these premises. In 1876, he left the district. He died in 1901 as the result of a train accident at Moreland.

Significance

Post Offices are an essential service in any community particularly in the nineteenth century when mail services were the main means for personal and commercial communication over distances. This image is one of the earliest images of a post office in Bacchus Marsh and is therefore an important documentary record of early postal services in the Bacchus Marsh area.

Physical description

This image is of a photographic copy of an original photo. Shown is a double-fronted store and Post Office in two sections , with a group of six men standing at the front. The building appears to be of weatherboard, with shingled roofs. Built in different styles, the two buildings may date from different periods. The buildings are unified by a single verandah supported by seven pillars along the front of the store. A sign erected between two of the pillars reads T. Taubman. On the brickwork a sign reads POST OFFICE above a number of noticeboards. Various items can be seen at the front of the store.

Inscriptions & markings

On the front: A hand-written note: "Bacchus Marsh Post Office Store 1850-1860 (?) from yellowed original by "P Robertson. B'Marsh" prior to restoration of original.