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Texarkana Post Office

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

The cities of Texarkana Texas and Texarkana Arkansas each operated separate post offices until 1892, when this joint post office was constructed on the border between the two states. In 1930, that structure was demolished and replaced with this post office which was completed in 1933. Builders used pink granite from Texas for the base of the new post office as well as Arkansas limestone for the walls of the structure. Currently, the Texarkana Post Office is the only federal office building in the United States that is located on a state line.

Images

Front angle of the Texarkana Post Office

Front angle of the Texarkana Post Office

The Texarkana state line sign

The Texarkana state line sign

This picture represents a common joke that spread around the town of Texarkana.

This picture represents a common joke that spread around the town of Texarkana.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

The Texarkana Post Office is unique as the only federal office that straddles state lines. The original post office building was constructed in 1892 and razed in 1930. The new building was finished in 1933 and featured a design that blended local materials from both states into the building. Engineers built the base of the building with granite from Texas while limestone from Arkansas formed the exterior walls. In a city where people from both states live and work on both sides of the state line, incorporating materials from both states into the building to represent the shared nature of the community this post office serves.

Sources

Hilton, Mark. United States Post Office and Courthouse. Hmdb.org. August 07, 2016. Accessed November 07, 2018. https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=random.

Additional Information