Historical information

Emerald Post Office occupied this building on Main Street (at the site of the contemporary Emerald Medical Centre) from 1906 until the 1980s, handling mail deliveries for much of the district. In 1950, the post office was neighboured by the Church of Christ, as is visible in VEMUP1013. By 1964, the building's surroundings had signficantly changed with larger brick buildings directly abutting it and phone boxes in front. This necessitated the transformation of the double ramps parallel to the wall to a single perpendicular staircase.

Significance

Emerald Post Office was an important institution for practically every Emerald resident for decades; this photograph captures it in the middle of its life, before some of the developments which today form the shape of Main Street.

Physical description

This item is a printed black-and-white photograph on card backing. It depicts a weatherboard building with the short edge facing the street; two symmetrical ramps lead up the side of the building to the entrance. There are fences on either side of the building, possibly dividing other properties from the road. Below the photograph is a handwritten caption copied from the original version; the reverse also features a handwritten annotation in blue pen, alongside the accession number in pencil.

Inscriptions & markings

Obverse, Caption: "Post Office, Emerald"
Reverse, Annotation: "Emerald Post Office 1950."