National Postal Museum
Amtrak/MARC/VRE at Union Station
The National Postal Museum, located opposite Union Station in Washington, D.C., United States, covers large portions of the postal history of the United States and other countries. It was established through joint agreement between the United States Postal Service and the Smithsonian Institution and opened in 1993.[2]
Premises
The museum is located across the street from Union Station, in the building that served as the main post office of Washington, D.C. for decades, from its construction in 1914 until 1986. The building was designed by the Graham and Burnham architectural firm, which was led by Ernest Graham following the death of Daniel Burnham in 1912.[3]
The headquarters of the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics is based in this building, and there is also space for a data center for the United States Senate.
Displays
The museum's atrium features vehicles used to deliver mail throughout the history of the USPS, including planes, trains and automobiles.[4] Historical exhibits guide visitors through the postal service's inception and expansion, as well as its role in significant national events such as World War II.[5][6] "Systems at Work" explores historic and current technologies involved in mail processing and delivery, such as message boxes, ZIP codes, optical scanners and conveyor systems.[7]
The museum holds the National Philatelic Collection. The museum has a gift shop and a United States Postal Service philatelic sales window. Admission is free.
In 2005, the museum acquired the childhood stamp collection of the late singer/songwriter John Lennon.[8] From June 2015 until December 2019, the museum displayed the 1856 British Guiana 1c magenta, the world's most valuable stamp, which sold for nearly $10 million.[9]
In September 2009, the museum received an $8 million gift from investment firm founder William H. Gross to help finance an expansion project. The William H. Gross Stamp Gallery of the museum is named in his honor.[10]
Events
Since 2002, the museum has presented the Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award every two years.
Gallery
- Opening sign for dedication of the National Postal Museum
- Mail-carrying stagecoach at National Postal Museum
- Air-mail plane anchored from the ceiling at the National Postal Museum
- Dead letters exhibit at Postal Museum
- Museum poster extolling value of postal delivery
- John Lennon's childhood stamp collection
See also
References
- ^ "Meet our staff". National Postal Museum. Archived from the original on 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
- ^ "History of the Museum". postalmuseum.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ Weeks, Christopher. (1994) AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C. (3rd Edition), Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-4713-3.
- ^ "Current Exhibitions". postalmuseum.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ "Binding the Nation". postalmuseum.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ "Mail Call". postalmuseum.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ "Systems at Work". postalmuseum.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ John Lennon's First Album. Archived 2017-07-30 at the Wayback Machine Owen Edwards, Smithsonian.com, September 2005. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ "British Guiana One-Cent Magenta". postalmuseum.si.edu. Archived from the original on 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
- ^ "William H. Gross Stamp Gallery". postalmuseum.si.edu. Archived from the original on 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
External links
- National Postal Museum official website
- National Postal Museum Library Official website
- Smithsonian's National Postal Museum at Google Cultural Institute
- v
- t
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- American Letter Mail Company
- American Postal Workers Union
- Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service
- Bureau of Transportation
- Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee
- National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees
- National Association of Letter Carriers
- National Association of Presort Mailers
- National Postal Mail Handlers Union
- National Rural Letter Carriers' Association
- Postal Regulatory Commission
- Postal Transportation Service
- PostalWatch Incorporated
- United States Postal Inspection Service
- United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General
- Air mail facility
- Boat railway post office
- Community post office
- Dead letter office
- Highway post office
- J. W. Westcott II
- List of United States post offices
- National Postal Museum
- Network distribution center
- Railway mail service library
- Red Brick Roads
- Sectional center facility
- Streetcar railway post office
- Terminal railway post office
- 2020 United States Postal Service crisis
- United States airmail service
- CAR-RT SORT
- Catcher pouch
- Cimarron Redoubt
- Domestic Mail Manual
- Facing Identification Mark
- Flats
- Grumman LLV
- Information-Based Indicia
- The Inspectors
- Intelligent Mail barcode
- Label 228
- List of postal killings
- List of U.S. state abbreviations
- List of United States airmail stamps
- Mail bag
- Mail cover
- Mail hook
- Mail Isolation Control and Tracking
- Mail jumping
- Mail pouch
- Mail sack
- Mail satchel
- The Mail Story
- Nixie
- ORM-D
- Owney (dog)
- Pony Express mochila
- Postage stamps and postal history of the United States
- Postal Alpha Numeric Encoding Technique
- Postal Clause
- Postal voting in the United States
- Postal worker
- Postmaster General
- Prohibitory Order
- Remote Bar Coding System
- Rural Free Delivery
- Rural letter carrier
- STD-4C
- United States post office murals
- USPS Post Office Box Lobby Recycling program
- United States Postal Service creed