Bruce Gould At Home in Nashville
Bruce Gould At Home in Nashville
~ story and photo by Paige Langenderfer
When Bruce Gould took the position of postmaster in Nashville, he intended to stay for about a year. Today, 33 years later, Gould said Nashville just feels like“ home.”“ I can’ t imagine living anywhere else,” he said. Gould served as the Nashville postmaster from 1984 to 2011, retiring after 42 years with the U. S. Postal Service.
“ Nashville was my third postmaster position, and at the time I just thought it would be another step on the ladder,” Gould said.“ But, I really fell in love with Nashville and the job and am glad I stayed.”
Postmaster work was certainly not easy. Gould worked from 5:30 a. m. to 5 p. m. Monday through Friday, and several hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
“ It was a lot of work, but I really enjoyed it,” he said.“ On Sundays I would deliver Express Mail and I would get to see people and parts of the county I wouldn’ t otherwise ever have seen. I was able to develop some really great relationships during those years.”
Gould also took an interest in local government, helping found the Nashville Tree Board and serving on the Nashville Town Council for several years. He also served on the Area Planning Commission and the Nashville Board of Zoning Appeals.
“ I’ ve always had an interest in how local government works— or doesn’ t work,” Gould said.
That interest led to a trip back to college to earn a master’ s degree in public management from Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis in the early 1990s.
Pam and Bruce Gould.
“ Looking back, I don’ t know how I was able to juggle all of that,” he said.
In 2002, Bruce married his wife, Pam, and started yet another endeavor. Pam owned Cornerstone Inn on Franklin Street, and Bruce took on the role of landscaper and construction man as the two managed the business together.
“ We make a really good team,” Bruce said.“ I would work all day at the post office and then go to the Inn for the evening to make repairs and renovations.”
Bruce retired from his postmaster position in 2012 and devoted his full attention to working with Pam to grow and expand the business. The couple renovated and began leasing the second floor of the building located at 87 East Main Street, referring to the five new guest rooms as The Upper Rooms. They then purchased 1.2 acres of property directly to the east of the Cornerstone Inn, which was the site of the former Village Motel. While the building was in need of drastic repairs, Bruce made it his mission to save the home of the former Village Motel owner Tudi Kuhn. He was able
20 Our Brown County May / June 2017