Don Granger, the owner of Granger Hardware and someone who has given to the community for many years turned 87 Thursday. Granger made the news last month after
Word spread like wildfire when it was announced the Grangerland Post Office would close. Don Granger wasn’t about to take that sitting down. He immediately posted a sign on his store, Grangerland Hardware the the post office would not close. He started a petition drive, he called and met with postal officials and even started searching for a qualified person who could run the post office. He told the over 150 post office box holders not to worry it won’t close.
Well his words came to light on when he met with a retired postal worker and the decision to have her run the Grangerland Post Office.
Jackie Mansito, who retired from the postal service after more than 20-years took over operations starting January 1, 2016. Since then a mobile post office will be set up as the old combination boxes were removed and the space remodeled. Close to 500 new boxes are be installed. Since the facility will not be directly run by the post office Mansito will also be an agent to ship and receive Federal Express and UPS at the location.
Don E. Granger has helped the community for years. In 1949 they donated the land for the First Baptist Church, and donated land for the former Grangerland, now Caney Creek Fire Department to build their fire station on FM 2090. He was one of their board members. Granger, a former Coach for Cleveland ISD.
Dr. Edwin Granger moved to the area in 1907 with his family. Then in the early 1930’s as the first oil well camp in near Conroe which turned into the Conroe Oilfields. Dr. Grangers son Don D. Granger, (Don E. Granger’s father) and brother Wyn Granger built thirty-two homes to serve the oilfield workers coming to the area. It was called Granger’s Camp. In the 40’s and 50’s a community center, a store and several churches started up. The area was then named Grangerland.
Don E.Granger who said it was his grandfathers dream to form a community has kept that dream a reality.
The hardware store located at Gulf Coast Road and FM 3083 serves as the unofficial meeting place for Grangerland. Inside Don E. Granger displays an archive of the area history. Photos of the old camps, oilfields and photos of the many politicians that have visited the area including Presidents, Congressmen and Governors.
Without Don E. Granger’s dedication, the Post Office in Grangerland may have been a thing of the past.
So it was appropriate Thursday morning that Jackie Mansito made Don Granger the first customer of the new facility which will open on Monday. Granger was given a birthday cake and the key for his new box. A big difference from the old combination postal boxes.
