The first post office opened in 1881 about one and a half miles west of the present village of Holland.
Mr. A. C. Holland was the first postmaster. Apparently he was very active in the early community. He was one of the first auditors for the municipality and assisted the municipal clerk in opening the first set of double-entry books. A staunch Anglican, he and his wife are remembered by the beautiful stained-glass windows at the back of the altar of the Anglican Church.
The post office was moved into the present village with the coming of the railroad; the location at that time was 113 Barr Street. On January 29, 1901 this building burned. It was rebuilt at 106 Stewart Avenue. It was moved to Broadway Street at a later date. Mrs. Holland assumed the duties of postmaster after the death of her husband in 1894. She remained at the post until her retirement in 1903
Mr. George Smart followed the Hollands as Postmaster. Those were the days of extensive political patronage, and it would appear that for several years, the Post Office alternated between Mr. Smart and Mr. Alfred Smith with each change of government.
Mr. Smith had homesteaded in the Holland district in 1879. He moved into Holland and took over the post office on a permanent basis in 1911. He retained the position until his death in 1935.
Mr. Joseph J. Scott followed Mr. Smith as postmaster. He came from the Wawanesa district and farmed at Holland for several years prior to 1935. He was an ardent sportsman and active in fraternal circles. During his tenure, the post office again burned, being in close proximity to Zachary's garage, which was razed at the same time. The new post office was built by Mr. Scott in 1953 on what was subsequently the location of Van Den Bussche's Farm and Auto at 100 Broadway Street. Mr. Scott resigned his position early due to ill health, and passed away in November of that year.
The next postmaster, C. Harvey Sundell, was born and raised in the Holland district. He was sworn in as postmaster on October 17, 1955. Besides his regular duties, he was a supervisory postmaster in 1962, responsible for the supervision of five smaller offices. Active in postal circles, he was elected President of the Manitoba Branch of the Canadian Postmasters Association for a two-year term in May 1965. In march 1966, he left Holland for the District Office in Winnipeg. He passed away February 12, 1986.
Ida Marginet, a local resident, was the next postmaster. During her term, the post office was moved to a new site at 105 Broadway Street where a new building was erected in 1971. Ida retired in 1985 and later moved to Winnipeg.
Kathy Boyd followed Ida as postmaster. She was previously postmaster at La Riviere, Manitoba. She left Holland in 1994 to accept the position of postmaster at Treherne. Laura Grift, also a long time resident of Holland, was employed with Canada Post in the capacity of part-time assistant and was acting postmaster for one year in 1994-1995. She decided to retire on June 17, 1998 with over 21 years of service with Canada Post, all in the Holland Post Office.
Phyllis D. Williams was appointed to the position of postmaster in Holland in 1995. She has been a long-time employee with Canada Post beginning her career in 1978. She has accepted postmaster positions in Bagot, Manitoba and other larger offices during those years.
Two smaller post offices appeared on the scene over the years, but with changing times, these were later closed. One of the earliest post offices was on the north-east quarter of section 12-8-11, where W. R. Ross operated a store and post office called Camille. It was located on the banks of Bear Paw Gulch. The post office was opened in1887. Later, W. R. Ross moved his store and post office to the south-west quarter of section 6-8-10. retaining the name "Camille" for the post office. When W. R.Ross moved to the newly formed village of Holland, the Camille Post Office was moved July 1, 1886 to the home of Robert Robertson, on the south-east quarter of 23-8-11. It was closed on January 26, 1903.
Landseer had a post office in the Landseer Store from 1937 until 1962.
The years between 1881 and 2004 have seen many changes in the postal service as well as personnel. Highway service has replaced the railway as a mail carrier. The mail is received and dispatched daily, Monday to Friday, to the Distribution Centre Facility in Winnipeg. Counter service is available on Saturday mornings as well as during the week and offers a wide array of products and services.
The present well-equipped office at Holland was designed to handle an ever increasing volume of mail. The building had extensive interior renovations in the spring of 1995, giving a new business look to the post office.
The post office department, which has changed to a corporation, is now completely financially self-sufficient and receives no funding from government. Re-organization of the rural offices has also changed over the years. Holland Post Office is now classified as a Grade 3 ( Band 4 ) semi-staff office, staffed by the postmaster, one part-time and one casual employee.
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