The Higley Post Office

For those skeptics who argue that Higley never was, here is a reminder that Higley is and always will be 85236 - our famous and beloved zip code. As an unincorporated town, annexation into neighboring communities has removed Higley street addresses, but its existence carries on through the Higley Post Office.

Records show that in 1910, Higley's post office was established with Laurence Holland Sorey (also seen with other spelling variations) as the postmaster. The post office was situated in the the building shown at the top of the Make Higley Historic website. This building is currently the Higley Stop & Shop/Taco Loco on the southwest corner of Higley and Williams Field. L.H. Sorey established a general store and the post office (not Stephen Higley), accommodating homesteaders, rail workers, and farm hands in the area . According to a written history by Elsie Owens Germann, he and his family lived on the second level up a flight of very steep stairs. His children were Jim and Matilda. Matilda delivered the mail via horseback to the rural patrons in the area commencing in 1915. The grandson of LH, Jack, says that it wouldn't matter if she would fall asleep on the route because the horse knew where to stop.

Considering lack of government in Higley, postmasters served as an unofficial mayors, if you will, openly facilitating commerce, community and communication. In Mr. Sorey's case, as a member of the Higley Chamber of Commerce, he was instrumental in lobbying for a road connecting Florence to Chandler (see 11/26/08 MHH! blogspot post). Some other early Higley postmasters include AJ Walker, Mary Owens and Mrs. English.

Post offices were eventually established in Chandler Heights (1938) and Queen Creek (1947) , but Higley continued to serve its own community along with Williams Air Force Base and neighboring towns of Mesa and Gilbert. After almost 80 years of operation in the same building, Higley's post office was built anew in 1989, 1/4 mile from the northeast corner of Higley and Ray. Unofficial records have shown Higley serving anywhere from 1000 patrons up to 4000 at its peak before Gilbert absorbed the last of the street delivery in 2007. The PO Box patrons at the Higley Post Office are the only remaining addressees of the historic community Higley, AZ 85236.

Despite the lack of street delivery, the Higley Post Office continues to be an institution most revered by the locals. Predating phone, fax, email, and annexation, the Higley Post Office remains as the original "gateway" to communication for the residents in the southeast Valley and coming up on 100 years of public service to boot! Many pine for the days when waiting lines were non-existent, but remain endlessly grateful of the role it has played in the area's progress and that it continues to stand as a testament to Higley's heritage.

If you have memories and/or inquiries regarding the history of the Higley Post Office we'd love to hear them, investigate on your behalf or point you in the right direction for more research. As with all posts on the Make Higley Historic! blogspot, please feel free to concur with or out-right question any of the information above. We want to hear from you!