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Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
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    Visit »

    Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

    Admission is always free!

    2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
    Washington, DC 20002

    The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

    street map of Postal museum

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Out of the Mails
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  • Out of the Mails
  • Boston, 1765
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Boston, 1765

Illustration of the port of Boston
Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Boston was one of the most important cities in the postal system during the colonial period. Most of the mail going to and from England was routed through Boston, Philadelphia or Charleston, Virginia.

Out of the Mails

  • Hugh Finlay's Journey
    • William Goddard’s Constitutional Post
  • The Franking Privilege
    • Free B. Franklin Frank
      • John Hancock
      • Boston, 1765
      • Thomas Hancock
      • Lydia Hancock
    • B. Free Franklin Frank
      • Discourse on the Institution of Medical Schools in America
      • David Barclay
      • John and Mary Morgan
    • The Hutchinson Letters
    • Benjamin Franklin, Diplomat
    • George Washington as a Private Citizen
  • The Mails During War
    • Loyalist: Boston, 1775
      • Oliver DeLancey
      • John Watts
      • New York City, 1775
      • Providence, Rhode Island, 1775
      • Intercepting the Mails
      • Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, 1775
      • Canada, 1775
    • Revolutionary: Valley Forge, 1778
      • Nathanael Greene to Joseph Webb, 1778
        • Joseph Webb Jr.
        • Wethersfield, Connecticut, 1778
        • Hugh Hughes
        • Fishkill, New York, 1778
      • Ebenezer Perkins to his Sister, 1778
        • The Philadelphia Campaign
      • General Howe
      • Quartermaster Department
  • To Pay or Not to Pay?
    • Hazard Letter, 1781
      • Dudley Woodbridge
      • Norwich, Connecticut, 1781
    • Williams Letter, 1785
      • Oliver Wolcott Jr.
      • Hartford, Connecticut, 1785
      • Eleazer Wales
      • James Millegan
      • Abraham Skinner
    • Troy Weight
  • Just for Kids!
    • Colonial Handwriting Tutorial
    • Create Your Own Loyalist Seal
    • Create Your Own Revolutionary Seal
    • Fold a Colonial-style Letter
  • Bibliography
  • Credits
  • Exhibition Outline
‹ John Hancock up Thomas Hancock ›

HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Visit »

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

Learn more
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Owney, the Railway Mail Service Mascot

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