First Post Office

In 1861 Ventura’s first postmaster, Volney A. Simpson, was said to have carried letters in his hat for delivery to residents in what is believed to be the first system of letter carrying in the state. In 1903, local businessmen of the Ventura Improvement Company raised the capital to build this structure for use as a post office at the cost of $20,000. Marks on the floors of the store show where the post office counter was once located.