The National Postal Museum, located in Washington, D.C., is the primary postal museum of the United States. It 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 The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

and the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

and opened in 1993.

Premises

The museum is located 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. The headquarters of the

United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemp ...

Bureau of Labor Statistics The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the government of the United States, U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics, labor economics and ...

is based in this building, and there is also space for a data center for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. It is located across the street from

Washington Union Station Washington Union Station, known locally as Union Station, is a major train station, transportation hub, and leisure destination in Washington, D.C. Designed by Daniel Burnham and opened in 1907, it is Amtrak's second-busiest station and North ...

Displays

The museum's atrium features vehicles used to deliver mail throughout the history of the USPS, including planes,

trains A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

and

automobiles A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

. 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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. "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. 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 John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

. 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. 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.

Events

Since 2002, the museum has presented the Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award every two years.

Gallery

National Postal Museum opening sign IMG 4356.JPG, Opening sign for dedication of the National Postal Museum stagecoach exhibit, National Postal Museum IMG 4368.JPG, Mail-carrying stagecoach at National Postal Museum Air mail plane at National Postal Museum IMG 4373.JPG, Air-mail plane anchored from the ceiling at the National Postal Museum Dead letter exhibit, National Postal Museum IMG 4367.JPG, Dead letters exhibit at Postal Museum National Postal Museum poster IMG 4357.JPG, Museum poster extolling value of postal delivery File:John Lennon's stamp collection.jpg, John Lennon's childhood stamp collection

References

External links

* * National Postal Museu
Library
Official website
Smithsonian's National Postal Museum at Google Cultural Institute
{{authority control United States Postal Service Post office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.) Members of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington Neoclassical architecture in Washington, D.C. Philatelic museums in the United States History museums in Washington, D.C. Industry museums in Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Institution museums Postal history of the United States

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...