Historic Post Office
A Vison Realized
The old Blakesburg Post Office—built circa 1909 by Postmaster M. H. Abernathy and later home to Red Weidman’s longtime barbershop and Dell Chidester’s beloved beauty shop—stands today as a testament to more than a century of community life. From its early years as the town’s first U.S. Post Office, through decades of haircuts, conversations, and the familiar hum of permanent wave machines, the building has remained a place where Blakesburg memories were made. In 1997, Adella “Dell” Chidester deeded the property to the City of Blakesburg with the hope that it would someday become a museum. When the Blakesburg Historical Preservation Society purchased the property in 2014, Della’s vision finally took root.
The Blakesburg Historical Preservation Society now has a home, and the citizens of Blakesburg gained a place dedicated to preserving their collective memory—a safe repository for stories, artifacts, and the history that shaped their town. Through her gift, Della helped ensure that Blakesburg’s legacy would be safeguarded and shared with future generations.
Intro
A warranty deed dated September 6, 1997 records that “Adella Chidester, a widow and single person, for the consideration of ‘Respect and Admiration,’ do hereby convey to the City of Blakesburg, Iowa, the following described real estate in Wapello County:
The south 30 feet of Lot Nineteen (19), Block Three (3), in the Town of Blakesburg, Wapello County, Iowa.”
At the time of the transfer, Della expressed a heartfelt wish: that the circa-1909 historic building on the property, which was originally Blakesburg’s first U.S. Post Office building, would one day become a museum for the community she loved. That hope began its journey toward reality when the Blakesburg Historical Preservation Society purchased the property from the City of Blakesburg for $4,000 on April 15, 2014.
US Post Office
1909 - 1930c
According to the property’s abstract, the Blakesburg Savings Bank conveyed the south 30 feet of Lot 19, Block 3 to M. H. Abernathy in May 1909 for $450. At the time, Moses was serving as Blakesburg’s Postmaster—a position he had held since 1897 and would keep until 1914. He is credited with recognizing the community’s need for a formal U.S. Post Office and overseeing its construction. The year 1909, carved into the cement step of the building, supports this early period of use.
Historic photographs show that the original building consisted of only two rooms. Little documentation survives regarding the addition of the third room, though local belief suggests that Moses may have built the extra space to serve as his personal office. While Moses was the official Postmaster, his daughter Achsa assisted him in the daily operation of the Post Office. She retired in August 1914, shortly after her father stepped down. Moses’ successor was Herbert Upp, who served until March 1919.
Post Office operations would eventually be moved next door into the Blakesburg Savings Bank building, which failed in 1931.
Red’s Barbershop
1930c- 1965c
Raymond “Red” Weidman’s Barber Shop was the next business to occupy the former Post Office building. Family recollections suggest that Red barbered in the old post office for much of his career, which lasted approximately 45 years. His shop remains vivid in local memory: the barber chair and a two-burner gas stove—used to heat water pumped from the city park’s hand pump—sat along the south wall of the east room, an oil-burning stove warmed the room from the west wall, and a sturdy church pew lined the north wall for customers waiting their turn. Generations of Blakesburg residents recall their first haircuts at “Red’s”, a place remembered as much for its friendly atmosphere as for its trims and shaves.
Red Weidman passed away on November 10, 1969, at the age of 77, but his presence remains an enduring part of the town’s shared story.
Dell’s Beauty Nook
1965c - 1997
The last business to occupy the old Post Office was Dell’s Beauty Nook, owned by Adella “Dell” (Hunt) Chidester. After teaching at Hickory School from 1931 to 1935, Dell enrolled in Mme. Kennedy’s School of Beauty Culture in Des Moines. She graduated on November 14, 1935, and opened her first shop the very next month inside Torrence Drug Store.
Over the years Dell’s Beauty Nook would periodically change locations in Blakesburg. Then in the 1960s, Achsa (Abernathy) Stutz, widowed but still living in the Abernathy House, offered to “modernize” the old Post Office so Dell could move her shop there—on one condition: that Dell stay in business and continue doing her hair. Dell agreed, and after Achsa passed away in 1968, she and her husband Donald purchased the property. Dell continued cutting and perming hair until 1979, when she began taking winters off to spend time with family in Texas. Dell’s Beauty Nook carried on into the 1990s, and Blakesburg folks still smile when they remember the permanent wave machines, cold waves, and hooded dryers that filled her cozy shop during the beloved “Days of Dell.”
It was Adella Chidester who ultimately deeded the property to the City of Blakesburg in 1997, sharing her dream that the historic building would one day become a museum. Adella lived for nearly 103 years, passing away in November of 2015. Today the Blakesburg Historical Preservation Society carries Dell’s dream forward; her story—and the story of the building—have truly come full circle.
BHPS Museum
1997 - Present
In the late 1990s, a small group of dedicated volunteers formed the Blakesburg Historical Preservation Society to renew and restore some of the community’s last remaining historic buildings.
Early efforts to restore the now-vacant old Post Office were hampered by limited funding and an informal organizational structure, slowing progress for several years. A major turning point came in 2012, when BHPS achieved 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, opening the door to grants and new opportunities. Then, in 2014, with the help of a local donor, BHPS purchased the old Post Office from the City of Blakesburg. From that moment forward, restoration advanced rapidly—transforming the building from an empty shell with no plumbing or heat into a fully restored museum open to the public.
In fulfilling Adella Chidester’s dream, BHPS has ensured that Blakesburg’s history will be preserved and shared with future generations.