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History

On June 8, 1959 a Navy submarine fired a guided missile carrying 3,000 letters to debut missile mail

Throughout its history, the Postal Service has explored faster, more efficient forms of mail transportation. Technologies now commonplace – railroads, automobiles, and airplanes – were embraced by the Post Office Department at their radical birth, when they were considered new-fangled, unworkable contraptions by many. One such technology, however, remains only a footnote in the history … Read more

Neither Snow Nor Rain Nor Heat Nor Gloom Stopped the United States Post Office Department From Launching on This Day in 1792

Long before Amazon Prime two-day delivery, the United States Post Office guaranteed mail delivery through all weather conditions. The modern organization got its start on February 20, 1792, when President George Washington signed the Post Office Act into law. into law. The history of what is now the USPS dates to 1775, as the American Revolution loomed. … Read more

Happy 121st birthday to the NRLCA

September 12, 1903 is a historic date for the NRLCA. It was on that day that a Constitution and bylaws were adopted and the first officers were elected at the first NRLCA National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

Mrs. Mamie Thomas, first female rural mail carrier delivered in Vicksburg

In 1914, Mrs. Mamie Thomas made history when she became the first female rural mail carrier in the United States. Using a buggy to deliver mail to the area southeast of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Mrs. Thomas paved the way for future generations of women to enter the male-dominated field of mail delivery. Born in 1873 in … Read more

On this day in 1971 the first union contracts were signed with USPS

On this day in 1971, the NRLCA and other postal unions entered into our first-ever contract with the US Postal Service, just days after the USPS formed as a result of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970. Check out these historic pages from the National Rural Letter Carrier magazine that summer! #postalhistory

History: Rural Free Delivery

The RFD is a government mail service, where mail carriers travel rural routes to deliver and pickup mail from roadside mail boxes. As of 2022, the USPS has around 133,000 mail carriers serving around 80,000 rural mail routes. Many people even today have rural free mail delivery rather than paying a monthly fee for a … Read more

Mrs. Mamie Thomas, first female rural mail carrier delivered in Vicksburg

Born in 1873 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Mamie Thomas grew up in a time when women’s opportunities were limited. However, she was determined to make a difference and break through the barriers that kept her and other women from achieving their goals. After marrying John Thomas, she moved to the small community of Beechwood, Mississippi, where … Read more

On October 1, 1896, rural free delivery (RFD) service began

On October 1, 1896, rural free delivery (RFD) service began in Charles Town, Halltown, and Uvilla in West Virginia, Postmaster General Wilson’s home state. Within a year, 44 routes were operating in 29 states. Just five days before Christmas in 1899, the Post Office Department decided to experiment with extending RFD across an entire county. … Read more

Today in 1912 a rural carrier did this for the first time

A rural carrier in Bennington County, VT, was the first to deliver mail by car on a rural route today in 1912. — Postal Museum (@PostalMuseum) August 7, 2014 Twitter / PostalMuseum: A rural carrier in Bennington ….   Shortly thereafter rural mail might have been delivered in one of these Rural Free Delivery vehicles.