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The
"One and Only Cornland" celebrates Zip
Code Day
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a link to a friend
 [June
29, 2019]
Tuesday night in the little town named
"Cornland" located in the southwest
corner of Logan County, residents
gathered to celebrate Zip Code Day. Why
you might wonder? Because the zip code
in this tiny community has the zip code
62519 or as the date indicated 6-25-19,
hence the proclamation "Zip Code Day."
Local resident Kelley Tierney, who
resides with her husband, Bob, in the
former Methodist Church building in the
town, was the mastermind behind "Zip
Code Day" but she will be the first to
say it was a team effort. Tierney's
vibrant personality and creative mind
made her the perfect person to carry out
the dream of gathering folks on this
once-in-a-lifetime day. You see, this
day will only come around once in a
hundred years.
"It is beyond our wildest dreams," said
Tierney of the crowd of people who
gathered Tuesday evening around the
little post office. "I'm telling you
what, who knew when you say to somebody,
"You want to have a little something for
Zip Code Day and everybody says, "What's
Zip Code Day?" And then to have a
turnout like this."
The population of Cornland is currently
estimated at 73 residents. Yes, Tierney
counted the residents herself. After
Tierney checked the signup sheet for the
Zip Code Day photo she counted 78 names
signed up. Impressive turnout.
Both local current residents and former
residents who made the trek to the
little town were treated to two photo
opportunities, one that was taken in
front of the post office and another by
the "One and Only Cornland" sign located
at the entrance into town off Illinois
State Route 54. An interesting side note
about the sign at the edge of town: The
original sign was damaged and stolen
some time ago and then one day this new,
beautiful sign showed up in its place.
Residents still do not know who painted
the new sign but they are so thankful
that someone thought enough of their
town to replace the sign that
disappeared.
Providentially, people pull off the
highway all the time to take their
picture with the "One and Only Cornland"
sign.
"One and Only" is pretty
self-explanatory and yes, it's true.
There is not another Cornland in the
entire United States of America,
according to the local residents. The
town of Cornland was surveyed in August
of 1871 by Joshua Day and as the founder
of the town, legend has it that he
proclaimed, "I've never seen land that
will grow better corn and therewith it
should be named Cornland."
Tuesday night brought about a reunion of
sorts on the street in front of the post
office and even founder Joshua Day was
represented. Direct descendants of
Joshua Day attended Zip Code Day and
they are some pretty recognizable Logan
County names.
The direct descendants of Hardin Cherry
are front row: Mary Thomas George and
Vera Thomas. Back row:
Melissa Cherry Beal, Julie Cherry
Cooper, Laura Cherry Hanner, Becky
Cherry Simko and Jean Meadows Guffey.
The Joshua Day descendants in attendance
are all great-granddaughters of Hardin
Cherry. Those granddaughters who
gathered in Cornland included sisters
Mary Thomas George and Vera Thomas of
Lincoln, Cherry cousins Melissa Beal,
Julie Cooper, Laura Hanner and Becky
Simko, and Jean Hannah Meadows Guffey.
Guffey traveled the farthest on Tuesday,
coming all the way from southern
Missouri for the event. Guffey's mom,
Vera Meadows, worked at the Cornland
Post Office for a number of years.
Cornland residents Sam Koehl and his
sister Lillian Koehl hold up the
commemorative postcards by the highway
sign.
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top of second column]
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Left to right: Kelby Ford, Gayla Hughes,
Lisa Mikuleza, Debbie Greenwood, Barb
Hodel and Anna Krug.
Kelby Ford is the current rural carrier
for Cornland and his grandfather owned
and operated Ford’s Store that once
housed the post office. Gayla Hughes and
Lisa Mikuleza work in the Riverton Post
Office and helped with Zip Code Day.
Debbie Greenwood is the current
postmaster of Cornland. Barb Hodel
worked for 20 years in the Cornland post
office with former postmaster Barbara
Harlean Veech. Anna Krug succeeded Veech
as postmaster and worked in Cornland for
10 years.
The current postmaster of Cornland is
Debbie Greenwood. Greenwood has worked
in Cornland for three years. She was on
hand Tuesday night overseeing the
selling of the four different designed
Cornland commemorative postcards.
The post office also created a special
commemorative cancellation stamp just
for Cornland. Customers can get mail
cancelled with the special stamp for
thirty days after 6-25-19. In fact, the
post office has already gotten mail from
ten different states of people sending
mail to Cornland to get the stamp
cancelled.
T-shirt orders are also still being
taken by Tierney.
The crowd hung around Cornland for a
good hour and a half after the 6 p.m.
photo op on Tuesday night, as folks
enjoyed snacks and reminisced about
Cornland history.
Mary George and Vera Thomas both vividly
remembered when the post office used to
be located in the back of Ford’s Store
in Cornland. Ford's Store was located
just next to the building that houses
the current post office the two said.
"You went through the grocery part to
the post office in the back," said
George. Customers could buy stamps and
pick up their mail from the post office
boxes in the back of the store. George
even recalled their post office box was
number 34. "You went three this way and
four that way and then it came open,"
said George, demonstrating the turns in
mid-air. "Those were the good old days,"
she added.
The current post office was built in the
mid 70s, residents concluded.
As the event came to an end, Tierney
smiled and gazed around at the last of
the long-time Cornland couples hanging
around and taking pictures.
“It just goes to show you, you don’t
need much of an excuse to have a party,
do you?” laughed Tierney.
Joe and Kay Hickey (57 years of
marriage).
Leroy and Bev Ramthun (51 years of
marriage).
"Newbies" Bob and Kelley Tierney (28
years of marriage).
By the way those royal
couples of Cornland who boast decades of
togetherness in the tiny town are pretty
impressive. The longest married couple
residing in Cornland is Joe and Kay
Hickey, with 57 years of marriage.
Coming in second is Leroy and Bev
Ramthun with 51 years of marriage.
Although Leroy is a life-long resident
of the town. Meanwhile, Tierney and her
husband, Bob, call themselves the
"newbies" of the town with 28 years of
married life in Cornland.
That's it from the "One and Only
Cornland" for now. Stay tuned in 2021
when the community celebrates 150 years.
[Teena Lowery]
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