 ‘SMALLEST
POST OFFICE IN THE WORLD'
 Prior
to 1921, the nearest Post Office building for Ocean Park was at 'Crescent'
(likely present-day 'Crescent Heights'). 'Crescent Beach' was recorded
in Wrigley's Directories as having a summer post office as well. Miss
Horner during 1917 to 1919 and D. McArthur in 1919 and 1920 had to pick
up the mail from Crescent and bring it back for distribution in Ocean
Park.
In 1921, Mr. F. S. Pratt, a returned soldier, first used a wooden building
at the end of the tent line on the Kwomais property as a post office,
then he obtained a 6 foot by 6 foot knockdown building which he placed
on the south-east corner of 126A St. and 16th Ave.
Mr. Pratt was post master until 1924 then Professor A. K. Henry, who had
recently retired from the English Department of UBC, took over. He was
an avid botanist whose garden on Ocean Park Road was featured in postcards
of the area. He was also the author of a textbook used by the B.C. schools
in their botany courses for many years.
He served until 1928 when Reverend Robert Hughes, who lived on the south
side of North Bluff Road in the 12900 block, took over and continued until
1949. Reverend Hughes had been a padre during the Klondike goldrush but
increasing deafness forced him to retire from church duties in 1927. During
his time as post master, he became totally deaf but was an excellent lipreader
who conducted tours to Britain and Europe. He increased the size of the
post office to 6 feet by 12 feet and later to a slightly larger size again.
In the late 1920s, the building was featured in 'Ripley's Believe It Or
Not' as 'the world's smallest post office'. This historic structure was
later moved to the Cloverdale fairgrounds, just inside the gate off 60
Ave., on the righthand side at the site of the Surrey Museum & Archives.
It was vandalized and the City decided to burn it down rather than pay
for repairs.
The second post office, on the north-east corner of 16th Avenue and 128th
Street (present site of Safeway parking lot), was operated by Mr. John
Greene from 1950 to 1965. It was across from Carruth's store.
Sources: 'The Story of Ocean Park', Wrigley's Directories, OPCA Minutes,
anecdotal evidence.
- Anne Helps
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