Tensas Parish History
Submitted to the USGENWEB Archives Project by 
Edith Ziegler JAN 2002

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First Post Office by Josiah P. Scott          
Extracted from the Tensas Gazette of April 22, 1938

REMOVAL OF A TIME HONORED LANDMARK

    The office building at St. Joseph of the late Mr. W. M. Davidson 
has recently been  moved from its old location, very close to his 
residence, to a point some 40 or 50 feet distant, where it is connected 
to the River Road Inn and converted into an apartment, with bathroom 
added, porch and outside entrance, providing this popular hostelry with 
an additional apartment.  Moving of the building also widens the 
courtyard between Mr. Davidson's and the River Road, presenting some-
what changed views to old timers accustomed so long to seeing the 
Davidson office on the old site.

    The building was erected in antebellum times by the late Mr. Julius 
Aroni, a prominent jurist of St. Joseph, who, living in the house that 
later became the home of the Davidson family, built the office mentioned
as his law office and which he used for years as his office, for years, 
until his death some years following the Civil War.  A gallant  
Confederate soldier and cultured southern gentleman Mr. Aroni was held 
in highest esteem by all who knew him.

    Upon the marriage some 50 odd years ago of Mr. Davidson to Miss 
Carrie Moore, they made this house their home.  Mr. Davidson being 
engaged in the mercantile business with the late Mr. James Curry,  
under the firm name of Curry and Davidson, the business occupying what 
is now the south side of the River Road Inn, the architectural design 
being now changed from the then long store, about 25x70 feet, with 
office at rear, to the present very lovely living rooms and bed rooms 
that add so much to the comfort and popularity of this very modern 
stopping place for visitors to our town.

    For years the office building in question served as the town post 
office, during administrations as postmaster  Miss Jennie Parr, Mr. 
Jas. Curry and Capt. Albert Bondurant, all of whom have long since gone 
to their reward.  After the firm of Curry and Davidson went out of 
business and the store building was leased to Hunt and Co., now of  
Monroe, and his father-in-law, the late W. R. Baker,  later (1897) with 
the retirement of Mr. Hunt, and entrance into the building of Mr. 
German Baker,  to be known as W. R. Baker & Son, now maybe the oldest 
business house in Tensas parish, Mr. Davidson, then without an office 
and feeling the absolute need of an office for his own use, had Capt. 
Bondurant vacate this building and move the post office to what was 
then known as the "Plank Road", now Highway 65.  Mr. Davidson then took 
possession of the office, using same himself  until his very lamentable 
death in 1930, following which the Panola Co., with the late R.H. 
Whitney as secretary, used this office.  The sad passing of Mr. Whitney 
in 1935, brought the use of this building to a close, and it has since 
been vacant, except for a little while when occupied by his son, R.M. 
Whitney, as successor to his father in insurance business, until the 
office building adjoining the Whitney or (formerly) Joseph  Moore home, 
used so long by the Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Co., now the 
Southern Bell Telephone Co.,  could be vacated by this company and 
became the present office of this old line insurance agency.

    Thus we have told the story of the life and usefulness of an office 
building, that was for years the mecca of the business men and leaders 
of Tensas parish, for few of the prominent citizens of the parish ever 
visited St. Joseph without calling on Mr. Davidson.  His office was 
really the hub about which moved the commercial and political life of 
our parish, as practically nobody sought office in Tensas without first 
soliciting Mr. Davidson's support.  Also Mayor of St. Joseph, president 
of the Bank of St. Joseph and Trust Co,, and the Panola Co., Mr. 
Davidson's counsel and aid were ever being sought, and what help he 
gave personally to his less fortunate friends who knocked at his door 
will never be known, for this good man never let his right hand know 
what his left hand did.  May his noble soul rest in peace is the prayer 
of all who knew him!