The Old Iberia Sentinel Building in Downtown Iberia

by Peggy Smith Hake

In "The New Iberian" newspaper, dated 17 March 1982, I wrote a brief story of an old building in Iberia that had once been the home of The Iberia Sentinel newspaper. The picture was owned by Mrs. Dorothy Barry (now deceased) who was living at St. James in 1982. She loaned me a copy, which I sent to the newspaper to accompany the story. In the picture are 5 people including Clifford Clark, John Musick, & Harry Ferguson who were rural mail carriers; George Martin, the postmaster and his wife, Laura (Ferguson) Martin....... ADDITONAL INFO: Harry Ferguson was a brother to Laura Ferguson Martin.

The Old Iberia Sentinel Building in Downtown Iberia

NOTE: A copy of this photo is in the Bank of Iberia's centennial calendar, which was printed in 1999. I have been told that the Martin family did not build the 2-story building but was it was built instead by Mathias Meredith and was purchased from him by George Martin.

In 1982, Oscar and Myrtle Wilson owned the old newspaper office building and it was used as a storeroom for their hardware business, which was located next door. Later the old newspaper office and hardware store was sold to Berry and Betty Blankenship. Betty remodeled the two-story building with fresh paint and trim and it was used as a quilt and sewing shop called "Betty's Front Porch". TODAY, IN 2007, THE BUILDING IS UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP AND IS TO BE A CLOCK REPAIR SHOP (per information I recently received).

When I was a young girl growing up in Iberia, the downstairs area housed the offices and printing shop for Iberia's grand old newspaper, "The Iberia Sentinel". The upstairs area was the home of Glenn and Vera (Porter) Martin. Glenn was the assistant editor of the Sentinel, in partnership with his father, George Martin.

On the right side of the building was a stationery and bookstore, which was owned and operated by Laura Ferguson Martin. Earlier, about 1905, a post office was located on the lots between the Earl Kinder home and the Forrest Green Real Estate Office (on Main Street). It was a small wooden structure owned by John Clark and rented by George Martin for the use of a U.S. Post Office. Sometime between 1907-1910, the two-story building was constructed that is shown in the old photo. George Martin moved Iberia's post office to this new location and used the four upstairs rooms as living quarters and it was there that he and Laura reared their children (Lena Martin Heltzell, Grace Martin Wyrick, and Glenn Martin-I can't recall more children at this time).

The double doors entered into the post office and bookstore. The single door on the left was a stairwell leading to the Martin's home upstairs. In later years an upstairs porch, supported by four brick pillars, was added to the original building and they remain today.

George Martin bought the IBERIA SENTINEL in the early 20th century and converted the building into a printing shop and newspaper office. A short time later, the post office was relocated to the site where the Law Oil Company once stood. The new postmaster assigned to the Iberia office was (Brose) Dickerson. This building was one of those destroyed in the devastating fire of 1939 when much of downtown Iberia burned.

ADDENDUM:
George Monroe Martin was born in December 1878 in Maries County, MO and was a son of James Oliver Martin and Margaret E. (Rowden). Laura Ferguson Martin was born in June 1881, a daughter of Squire John Ferguson and Dorcas Canzada Shelton of Richwoods Township, in the Iberia area.