DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, most federal buildings, they pick a state and they stay in it. Sensible arrangement.
But somewhere along the Texas-Arkansas line, somebody looked at a survey map, looked at a plot of land, and decided — no. No, we're doing something different here. What you've got in Texarkana is the only federal office building in the United States that straddles a state line.
That's not a boast. That's just the situation. The Texas-Arkansas boundary, established back in 1841 between the United States and the Republic of Texas, runs straight through the center of the place.
Not near it. Not beside it. Through it.
Right down the middle. For a good while, each state had its own separate post offices — made sense on paper, maybe, but Texarkana being Texarkana, that arrangement only held so long. Come 1892, they built the first joint office right here on this site.
One building, two states, one postmark problem presumably solved. That original structure stood its ground for decades before it was razed in 1930. Then, in 1933, the present building was completed — and here's where the builders seemed to be having a little fun with the geography.
The base is Texas pink granite. The walls are limestone from Arkansas. So even the materials themselves know which side of the line they're standing on.
Two states, one building, one boundary drawn in 1841, and a post office that had the good sense to stop arguing about jurisdiction and just get the mail sorted. That's Texarkana for you.
What the marker says
Currently, only Federal office building to straddle state line. Present Texas-Arkansas state boundary (established in 1841 by United States and Republic of Texas) passes through center. Each state had separate post offices until 1892, when first joint office was built on this site. It was razed in 1930, and in 1933 the present structure was completed. The base is of Texas pink granite while walls are of limestone from Arkansas. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1970