This little post office building is located in southeast Conecuh County. Immigrants of South Carolina settled in this area in the 1870s. As the local population increased, residents needed a local post office. David Robinson submitted a petition to the U.S. Postal Service requesting a post office with a Biblical name. The postal service approved the request in 1907 and named the post office, Paul. The post office opened in 1908 and David Robinson served as the first postmaster. The post office was located in a small unpainted wooden building that had a porch on the front. David’s son, Erastus (Raz) O. Robinson, became the next postmaster in 1920. You would often find Raz sitting in his favorite wooden chair on the post office porch. Raz’s wife, Linnie Jane, managed the post office until 1970. Her niece, Lucy N. Pate, took over and operated the post office in this small building until she relocated the post office to a new location in 1975. The postal service closed the Paul, Alabama post office in 1987.
The little Paul Post Office building was the center of town activities. Community leaders and others would be there daily, sharing news and swapping stories. This little Post Office served as a gateway to the world for many local residents during that time. The Paul Post Office was listed in the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on June 21, 2013.
The community of Paul is located approximately 20 miles southeast of Evergreen in Conecuh County. The Paul, Alabama Post Office is located beside Paul Road approximately 100-150 yards east of the intersection of Co Rd 6 and Paul Road (31°19’13.9″N 86°44’33.0″W – Google Maps).
Sources: 1) Joseph Tod Moore (the great-great nephew of Erastus O. and Linnie Jane Robinson); 2) “United States Post Office, Paul, Alabama, Conecuh County” Historical Marker