Just before the U.S. Postal Service delivered the fate of New Tripoli mail service last week, Willard Snyder and members of the Lynn-Heidelberg Historical Society unearthed a ghost of rural post offices past in the basement of Dee and Dave Stepan's Lynnport farm house.

The 72 boxes of the former Lynnport post office have resided there, often housing wine bottles or cans of stray nails and screws, since Clarence Mantz retired as Lynn-port's postmaster in 1980.

Mantz operated the post office, zip code 18061, out of his general store at the corner of Routes 143 and 863 for 36 years.

Snyder plans to build a base for the unit, which includes a small counter and window with iron bars, to match the oak interior of the old New Tripoli bank building which houses the historical society on Madison Street.

The post office boxes should be on display some time within the next few weeks.

Lynnport residents Russell Dotterer and Gary Zellner were on hand to heft the cluster of metal boxes up the basement steps with the help of Snyder, Dave Stepan and New Tripoli's Richard Metzger.

A wooden drawer in the back of the former post office contains the combinations to the 46 named boxes, which open via dials with eight numbers.

"For some reason the number 16 sticks in my head," Dotterer said, pointing and scanning the row of olive-drab, painted boxes with hand-lettered names. "Sure enough, there it is!"

On Zellner's box, someone crossed off the name of his father, Martin, and wrote his with a ballpoint pen.

Talk soon turned to fond memories of Mantz and his corner store.

"He was a good guy, Clarence," Zellner said. His family got their mail in Lynnport for more than 25 years.

"He used to lead bus trips to ball games, the beach, up north, everywhere."

The U.S. Postal Service eliminated the Lynnport zip code, as well as a mail pick-up box outside Mantz's store, shortly after he retired as postmaster.

The Stepans circulated a petition and voiced local opposition to then-Congressman Don Ritter, but to no avail.

Lynnport residents were forced to adopt New Tripoli addresses and a new zip code, 18066. Mantz died in 1992 at age 78.

"Shortly after the post office closed for good, Clarence said, 'You've done more than anyone to try to save this post office, so I want you to have it,'" Dee Stepan said. "I was totally dumbfounded because he literally meant for me to take it home."

The gift came with one stipulation, she said, "If there's ever a local museum or someplace it could be displayed with other things from the past, please see that they get it. So Clarence, you've got your wish!"

The Lynn-Heidelberg Historical Society is open to the public 9 a.m.-noon the fourth Saturday of each month or by request.

Interested parties should call 610-767-6864 or 610-298-2231 to access the building by appointment.