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Ashland Kentucky Historical Walking Tour
Item 6 of 14

Old Post Office and Steen's Military Museum, Ashland

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

This historic structure served as the Ashland Post Office until it was replaced by the current post office in the early 1980s. The building was constructed in 1916 and expanded in 1933 as part of a New Deal work program. The newly-expanded facility was dedicated by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Following the construction of the city's new post office, the building was sold to an engineering firm and later became the home of a bookstore. The current owner, Marshall Steen, operates a small military history museum here and also rents the building for special events.

Images

The Old Post Office

The Old Post Office

The Old Post Office

The Old Post Office

The interior of the building

The interior of the building

One of the displays within Steen's Military Museum

One of the displays within Steen's Military Museum

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

The Old Post Office was built at a time when Ashland was a growing metropolitan area and needed a grand post office that would demonstrate its status as a center of communication and commerce. The post office was built in 1916 and expanded as part of a New Deal work project in the 1930s. Ashland used the post office until the early 1980s when the government began construction on a more modern and efficient post office.

The post office has held an engineering firm, a bookstore, the Jesse Stuart Foundation, and several other businesses. The building currently houses Steen's Military Museum, which offers exhibits and artifacts related to the military from the French and Indian War to the modern era. Steen has been working on opening a military museum after twenty years of planning and collecting. The Steen family operates the building and the museum, with most items in the museum coming from their extensive collection of firearms and uniforms. The Steen family also provides the historic cannons that can be seen around downtown Ashland through their own cannon foundry. 

Along with providing ease of access for visitors to see the military memorabilia, they provide a large venue for local events as well. This adds to the diversity of downtown Ashland by providing a new and historical place to host events and business functions.

Sources

2015Herald-Dispatch.com, The Herald-Dispatch /. "Gallery: Renovated Old Post Office opens in Ashland." The Herald-Dispatch. The Herald-Dispatch, 28 Feb. 2015. Web. 01 Apr. 2017. <">http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/recent_news/gallery-renovated-old-post-office-opens-in-ashland/a....

Independent, TIM PRESTON. "Steen invites Rotary Club to visit The Old Post Office." The Independent Online. The Independent, 06 Apr. 2015. Web. 01 Apr. 2017. <">http://www.dailyindependent.com/news/steen-invites-rotary-club-to-visit-the-old-post-office/article_....

Independent, Adam BlackThe. "Old building, new purposes: Steens ready to introduce community to military museum and event venue." The Independent Online. The Independent, 22 Feb. 2015. Web. 01 Apr. 2017. <">http://www.dailyindependent.com/community/old-building-new-purposes-steens-ready-to-introduce-commun....

Melchior, Dustin. "Steen's Military Museum now at the Old Post Office." Ironton Tribune. Ironton Tribune, 20 Mar. 2015. Web. 01 Apr. 2017. <">http://m.irontontribune.com/2015/03/20/steens-military-museum-now-at-the-old-post-office/>.

Additional Information