Moving the Mail

July 30, 1993 - Permanent

Transportation is critical to good mail service. Among the National Postal Museum's artifacts are a number of different vehicles that have carried the mail.

An airplane

Airmail in America

February 22, 2006 — Permanent
In the 1920s and 1930s, funds from airmail contracts breathed life into the nation's fledgling commercial aviation industry.

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Interior of the railway mail car

Mail by Rail

July 30, 1993 — Permanent
The Railway Mail Service revolutionized the way mail was processed by sorting mail aboard moving trains. The National Postal Museum re-created a railway mail train in its Atrium. The interior fixtures is from a de-commissioned mail car. The exterior portion of the Railway Post Office train was created by Smithsonian artisans.

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A stagecoach in exhibit in the museum's Atrium

Networking a Nation: The Star Route Service

February 21, 2006 — Permanent
In 1845, postal officials tried a new approach to expand the nation’s mail service—Star Routes.

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Model A Ford Parcel Post truck

On the Road

December 23, 2004 — Permanent
Discover the history of the postal service's vehicular fleet, the largest in the world.

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