Posts
GEORGE BUCHANAN ARMSTRONG is the Father of Railway Mail Service in America. "The first official US Post Office railroad route was officially established when Mr. Armstrong placed a postal care equipped for general distribution in service between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa." At that time he was Assistant Postmaster in Chicago. www.thepostalgazette.com/issues/12/MailbyRailUSA.pdf The portrait bust shown below, located in the Federal Center Post Office, was sculpted by Leonard Volk in 1881.
.
.
The importance of railroads to the history and development of Chicago cannot be overestimated. Union Station, today, is a Chicago Landmark (http://egov.cityofchicago.org/Landmarks/U/UnionStation.html) See additional photographs and comment at (http://www.architectureintheloop.blogspot.com/). Leonard Volk, incidentally was Stephen Douglas' brother-in-law. The commemorative above (Lincoln seated, Douglas standing), also by Volk is located at the Douglas Memorial on 35th Street and overlooks the Illinois Central line parallelling the Lakefront.
.
.
