Three buildings in Jefferson possess historical significance that many residents, let alone visitors, never notice.
A walking tour of the three buildings will conducted Tuesday, Oct. 27, starting at 10 am. Organized by the Greene County Historical Society, the trek begins at Jefferson Telecom, 105 W. Harrison St.
Local residents pay their phone bills at Jefferson Telecom, many not knowing there’s a telephone museum on the lower level, although they may say “Hello” to the large taxidermy game animals in the building’s lobby.
The telephone museum, one of the first in the nation, includes switchboards and displays of antique and modern phones and a video history of the local phone company, organized by Carl Daubendiek in 1938 when two small local companies merged.
North across Harrison St is the Jefferson post office, built in 1937. Its lobby, paved with red tiles and adorned with massive oak woodwork and tables, features a large Depression-era mural high on the east wall. Many post office patrons stopping to buy stamps or mail a package rarely raise their eyes to the 14-by-7-foot mural, which is titled “The New Calf.”
Officer-in-charge Elizabeth Pryor will lead the group on a tour of the mailroom.
Then it’s on to the Greene County courthouse, built in 1915-1916. Mike Piepel of Jefferson, who served as county auditor from 1987 to 1999, will talk about the building’s four large murals, high up in the rotunda; the rotunda’s recently repaired stained glass dome; and the famed “Horn of Plenty” mosaic on the main floor.
