Postal history

Delivering the mail and more

Did You Know PDF
Delivering during the COVID-19 Pandemic: How the U.S. Postal Service Kept the Nation Connected PDF
Delivery: Monday through Saturday since 1863 PDF | RTF
City Delivery PDF | RTF
- Deliveries per Day PDF | RTF
Rural Free Delivery PDF | HTM
- First Rural Routes by State
Postal Service Mission and "Motto" PDF | RTF
Santa Letters: Gateway to Kindness PDF | HTM
State Abbreviations PDF | HTM
Universal Service and the Postal Monopoly: A Brief History PDF | HTM
Development of United States Parcel Post, 1887-1984 PDF

Past postal programs

E-COM, Electronic Computer Originated Mail PDF | RTF
Mr. ZIP PDF | RTF
Postal Savings System PDF | RTF
The Postal Service’s Role in Civil Defense during the Cold War PDF
Telegraph: Early Postal Role PDF | RTF
V-Mail PDF | RTF

Unique deliveries

Hope Diamond Delivered by Mail PDF | RTF
A Letter, a Lad, and a Lizard PDF | RTF
The Bank of Vernal: The “Parcel Post Bank” PDF | RTF

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Photo galleries

Images of past postal workers, equipment, vehicles, and scenes from postal history.

The official history of the USPS

See our 156-page illustrated book The United States Postal Service: An American History.

To order a printed copy, see How to Order.

Kids’ history of the USPS

A Kids’ History of the United States Postal Service, for young readers, shares USPS history in 40 fun-filled pages.