Heritage Station Post Office 1880

Heritage Station is Palmetto’s first free-standing post office. It was built for Mrs. Mary Nettles, Palmetto’s 2nd and 4th Postmaster, who served from 1880 to 1889 and again from 1893 to 1897. During her service and through the turn of the century, mail bound for Palmetto traveled first by rail to Cedar Key, then 125 miles south by steamer and into the Manatee River to Palmetto. In 1982 the building was scheduled to be burned in a fire-fighting exercise before the Palmetto Historical Commission saved it. It was moved to the Palmetto Historical Park site, the site of Palmetto’s first bond supported public school, with the approval of then-Mayor Ken Burton and the City Council. It was restored through the efforts of the Historical Commission and the City of Palmetto with many donations from individuals and businesses. A central part of the restoration was the installation of the 1880 oak postal windows and boxes donated by Judy and Belmont Whittle. Richard Hebble, a regional postmaster and descendant of Mrs. Nettles, provided antique postal furniture, as did local post offices and private citizens. The historic post office was the first building moved into the Historical Park. Each March on Heritage Day, Heritage Station is open for business from 10:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., and all mail posted through the antique post office is hand cancelled with a special cancellation used only on that day at this place.

Palmetto, Florida · United States