Main Street Historic District

The Postoffice in Tampico was established September 1, 1871, Mr. J. S. Kimball being commissioned as the first Postmaster. Previous to the establish- ment of the Postoffice John W. Ghassburn ran a private mail between Sterling and Yorktown for the convenience of those on the route, having secured a privilege therefor from the United States Government. In 1869, the Government established a post route between Sterling and Yorktown, and Chauncy Dow obtained the contract to carry the mail. He retained the contract for one year, and then gave it up, and Oliver McKenzie secured it. Mr. McKenzic carried the mail until the Postoffice was established at Tampico. Mr. Kimball was Postmaster only a short time, and then resigned, and was succeeded by S. B. Winters. The Postmasters since Mr. Winter's time have been J. W. Mosshart, and Albert Berry, the latter now acting for Uncle Sam. A Postoffice furnishes probably a better criterion of the growth and advancement of a place than any other agency, and judging from the increase of business at the Tampico Postoffice, one is forcibly reminded of the rapid growth of the town. At the close of the year 1871, the business of the Tampico office did not show an amount exceeding $60 per annum. Now it amounts to over $600.

Passage source: History of Whiteside County, Illinois, from Its First Settlement to the Present Time;, published 1877.

The business places of the village of Tampico at present are: two elevators, , the proprietors of which deal in stock, flour, lime, coal, salt, etc.; five dry goods, grocery, and general mercantile stores; two hardware and agricultural implement stores; two drug and medicine stores, one of which deals in school books etc.; two dealers in wagons and buggies; one manufacturer and dealer in harness; one dealer in flour, feed, etc.; one dealer in furniture; one dealer in watches and jewelry; two restaurants; one barber; one livery stable; one butcher; two milliners and dressmakers; two milliners a§d dealers in fancy goods; two blacksmiths; one wagon maker; one dealer in feathers, etc.; three hotels; two attorneys at law; two physicians and surgeons; two lumber dealers; and last, though not least, one newspaper.

Passage source: History of Whiteside County, Illinois, from Its First Settlement to the Present Time;, published 1877.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Tampico Township - 12,289 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.