Postal History On Display

A Museum Inside New York City's Main Post Office

Jun 1, 2009 David Chiu

Tucked away inside New York City's James A. Farley Post Office is a little museum devoted to postal history.

Founded by Joseph H.Cohen, the Museum of Postal History houses various postal artifacts, from old letters going back as far as the 19th century to the satchels used to deliver the mail.

Step Into History

For both fans of postal history and the curious, the museum offers a glimpse of what mail delivery was like back then—for example one display shows a postal carrier uniform from the 1960s as well the different caps worn by letter carriers. The museum also shows the evolution of the postal system, which is represented by the patches that have the various logos of the Postal Service.

Stamp enthusiasts will no doubt be drawn to the many old letters, with its canceled postage going back to the 1800s, including one letter with “a special delivery issued from October 1894.” Another interesting item is a first day cover from July 4, 1931, featuring the images of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence on the envelope.

In some respects the museum is offers a representation of America's past. There are letters from the era of wartime including the Spanish American War, World War I and II, and the Korean War. One letter is marked as "Japanese Internment Camp 1943" (see picture below).

On the Unusual Side

There are also some fascinating items inside the museum that might strike some as unusual. For example there is a postcard made out of brass and featuring a zeppelin from 1903, not to mention ones made of leather and wood. In another glass case is a “metal egg crate” from the 1920s, which used to ship eggs from the farms for delivery, as well as a spittoon! Also is a wooden mailing tube used for storing liquids dating back to 1866.

And on a glass table outside the museum are old post office locks, including those from England and Canada. There is even a “letter of apology” regarding misdelivered from 1901.

Even the museum's founder, Joseph Cohen, is represented—a photograph of him is in one of the display cases underneath the hand cancelers.

If you are ever at the Farley post office to mail a letter or buy stamps, or a stamp collector visiting New York City for the first time, stop inside the museum. It may be small but the Museum of Postal History captures many important moments in postal delivery and American history.

The Museum of Postal History is located inside the James A. Farley Post Office, 421 8th Avenue , in New York City. Admission is free.

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