If you lived in the northern section of Kearny in the late 19th century, this is where you would go to mail a letter. This photo, circa 1882-86, was taken when James Freeman, postmaster, ran the Arlington Post Office — in the rear of his grocery store. The structure itself is called The Freeman Building, and, despite having passed by it innumerable times, we never knew it had a name. If we had been more observant, we might have noticed ‘The Freeman’ engraved in stone at the roofline. The imposing red-brick structure is still standing on Midland Ave. at the corner of Devon St. and over the decades has continued to be home to a variety of commercial tenants. We know that there was once a theater on an upper floor. Is it still there? The awnings and sidewalk signs are long gone, and an SUV occupies the horse-and-buggy’s parking spot, but look at the chimneys!
– Karen Zautyk
