appointed as first postmaster.Community
HISTORY OF
THE PAULINA POST OFFICE
by Charles Duhe
Dedicated in memory of Live Cambre, who donated the Old Paulina Post Office Building to the St.James Historical Society.
The U.S. Postal Department officially
opened the first post office in Paulina,LA., on August 5,1891.
Joseph DeB.Greig was appointed as first postmaster.
Prior to 1891, the residents of Paulina recieved their mail through the Hester Post Office. Early documents from the Post Office Archives also reveal that there was a post office in Grand Point from 1858 to 1866, and that there was also a post office in Longview from 1871 to 1877. Mail to the Paulina area could have come from these two locations during their short existence.
The first Paulina Post Office was located in Felix Brignac's store, which was located in the area where Judge Kliebert's house now stands.
Mrs. Marie Genre Donadieu, who was neice to Felix said,"Mr.Felix Brignac was an amazing man. In his two story building (his family lived upstairs), he ran a post office, grocery store, and barber shop. Without schooling, he became a self-made veternarian, and very well trusted by all animal owners. He went by the nick-name of "Le-Leak"".
Mrs. Marie Weber remembers, "One evening in
1936, a severe lightning storm formed. From our house, we saw
lightning hit Brignac's store, and it went up like a match".
"Luckily", Shirley Poche said,"a new post office building had just been opened further down stream on the Mississippi River Road on the Cambre property. This building, measuring about eight feet square, actually looked like an oversized outhouse."
It was soon realized that the new post office building was too small and would need expansion in the near future.
One of Felix Brignac's daughters, Ophelia, married Paulin Poche and she became post master in Paulina in 1914. Another daughter of Felix's, Pauline, married Live Cambre. Pauline was a school teacher in 18553, but eventually became post master after Celia Rielley retired.
The town of Paulina never had a registered railroad depot. A small shelter on the Illinois Central Railroad was called Paulina Flag Station. Live Cambre would flag the mail train down each day and, most of the time, mail was thrown on and off the slow moving train in mail bags. Mail was also transferred from a pole with a hook.
Pat Cambre recalls that her father-in-law, Live Camre, would go get mail on horse back.
Years later, a black "Mail messenger" by the name of Jim Porter would always pick up the mail with a wheel barrow. For a long time we didn't have a safe. I had to bring all the money, stamps and valuables home each night for protection. Even if you rented a box, for security reasons the building was locked up after 5 p.m. In the early fifties, mail trains had stopped and all mail was delivered by trucks. These drivers had keys to deliver after-hours mail.
Even with the mail delivered by rural route, direct to peoples homes, some would insist on getting the mail from the window, especially around the first of the month when social security, welfare, and "old age" checks arrived. I finally had to write a notice, prohibiting route customers from calling for mail at the window. I received several threats for this action. I'm donating my two post master certificated to the St. James Historical Society to install in the restored building".
According to Pat Cambre, postal clerk and one time officer in charge, "We had an outside mail chute on the front porch. This hole in the wall was provided for people to deposit mail after hours. The chute was eventually closed because sparrows kept building their nest in the hole". One of those up-to-date blue mail boxes was then put on the porch for after-hour mail deposit.
In 1981, the old Paulina Post Office had served its time and was in dire need of repairs or expansion. Mail volume had increased to the extent where all the mail sacks wouldn't fit in the building. On May 17, 1981, the American flag flew for the last time. The popular gathering place for all the town folks would close its doors for the last time.
on May 18,1981, a new modern brick structure was opened for business and was dedicated on June 28,1981 as the fourth Paulina Post Office, located down stream of the St. Joseph Catholic Church.
The old building in Live Cambre's yard stood vacant for ten years, the victim of vandalism and deterioration.
"While cleaning up one day", said Pat Cambre, "we came across several 30 year old letters that had never been mailed. We just put them in the U.S. mail and let them go."
Live Cambre had donated his old cypress
boat, the Olive Jeanette, to the St. James Historical Society for
restoration. He was 
real impressed with how the Society restored his
boat for future generations to enjoy.
Paulina was named after Sister Mary Pauline, who was stationed at St. Joseph's Church. "Sister Pauline never did like country living," Mrs. Genre Donadieu said. "It was this same flag station where Sister Mary Pauline flagged down a train headed for New Orleans-- never to return to Paulina again."
In 1942, while Live Cambre's sister, Bernice, was postmaster, the U.S. Postal Department decided to closed down the Remy Post Office, which had been in existence since 1904. This post office was initially operated by the Proal family, from his store at the beginning of Grand Point Road. The second Remy Post Office was located on Grand Point Road, just before the Illinois Central Rail Road, where the Mt. Olive Baptist Church now stands. Effective October 31, 1942, all Remy mail went to Paulina.
After it's closure, the Remy Post Office building ws moved to Paulina and replaced the small Paulina Post Office at the same location on the Cambre property. The larger building, which measures ten by twelve feet, with a four foot front porch, proveded the much needed expansion for Paulina.
Previously, all patrons had to go up to a window and ask for their mail. This new building had 35 boxes for rent, along with a row of cubby holes to sort out general delivery mail. In 1950, box rent was $1.4o per year.
Live Cambre rented this building to the U.S. Postal Department for $30.00 per month, and for this price, he even supplied the electricity and gas heating. Even during inflation, and urging from his family, Live refused to go up on their rent. "The postal service has been too good to me," Live always said,"I'll never increase their rent."
About 1951, the Paulina Post Office building was expanded to thirteen by seventeen feet. The over hang over the front porch was not enlarged, thus explaining why the porch roof is not the same size as the porch floor. More post office boxes were also added and now totalled 54. Live Cambre was never postmaster, but held the position as postal clerk for many years.
Postmaster, Mrs. Leola (Sis) Roussel said,"I spent many a cold day in that post office. My husband Edmee, before going to work, would light up the small gas heater at 5:30 a.m. to have the building warm when I got to work at 7 a.m. Our only air condition was a cool breeze coming off the Mississippi River. I would leave the doors and windows open in summer, but Live always had a yard full of bantam chickens that made frequent visits inside the building."
Before Live's death of January 9,1990,
he stated that he would like to donate the old Paulina Post
Office to the Historical Society for restoration. After Live
passed away, his family honored one of his last requests and
officially donated the building 
to the Society on March
9, 1991. On April 8,1991, the post office was relocated on the
grounds of the St. James Historical Society Culture and Heritage
Center. On her journey, she paused briefly in front of the new
Paulina Post Office as if to comment, "Carry on my work, for
I have served my people faithfully."
The building is being restored to its original state, both inside and out. ALthough the post office boxes had been removed in 1981, Mr. and Mrs. Dee Jenkins supplied some replacements from another old post office. Mrs. Mary Terrio, present post master in Paulina, was very cooperative in the restoration project. A special pictorial centennial cancellation stamp was produced for stamping mail on August 5,1991, at which time the restoration was completed in time to celebrate its centennial birthday.
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