The National Postal Museum, located opposite

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, United States, covers large portions of the Postal history of the United States and other countries. It was established through joint agreement between the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

and the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

and opened in 1993.

Premises

The

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

is located across the street from

, in the building that served as the main post office of Washington, D.C. for decades, from its construction in 1914 until 1986. The building was designed by the Graham and Burnham architectural firm, which was led by Ernest Graham following the death of

Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...

in 1912. The headquarters of the

United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemploy ...

's Bureau of Labor Statistics is based in this building, and there is also space for a data center for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Displays

The museum holds the National Philatelic Collection. It has hosted many interactive displays about the history of the United States Postal Service and of mail service around the world. The museum has a gift shop and a United States Postal Service philatelic sales window, along with exhibits on the

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pi ...

, the use of

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s with the mail, the preserved remains of Owney (the first unofficial postal mascot), and an exhibit on

direct marketing Direct marketing is a form of communicating an offer, where organizations communicate directly to a pre-selected customer and supply a method for a direct response. Among practitioners, it is also known as ''direct response marketing''. By ...

called, "What's in the Mail for You." Visitors may acquire a souvenir envelope with their name printed on it and a coupon for the gift shop. As one of the national Smithsonian museums, admission is free. This museum also houses a library. In 2005, the museum acquired the childhood stamp collection of the late singer/songwriter

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

. From June 2015 until December 2018, the museum displayed the 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta, the world's most valuable stamp, which sold for nearly $10 million. In September 2009, the museum received an $8 million gift from investment firm founder William H. Gross to help finance an expansion project. The William H. Gross Stamp Gallery of the museum is named in his honor.

Events

Since 2002, the museum has presented the

Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award The Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Awards is a biennial honor presented by the United States National Postal Museum. The award is designed to recognize individuals for"...outstanding lifetime accomplishments in the field of philately Philat ...

every two years.

Gallery

National Postal Museum opening sign IMG 4356.JPG, Opening sign for dedication of the National Postal Museum stagecoach exhibit, National Postal Museum IMG 4368.JPG, Mail-carrying stagecoach at National Postal Museum Air mail plane at National Postal Museum IMG 4373.JPG, Air-mail plane anchored from the ceiling at the National Postal Museum Dead letter exhibit, National Postal Museum IMG 4367.JPG, Dead letters exhibit at Postal Museum National Postal Museum poster IMG 4357.JPG, Museum poster extolling value of postal delivery File:John Lennon's stamp collection.jpg, John Lennon's childhood stamp collection

References

External links

* * National Postal Museu
Library
Official website
Smithsonian's National Postal Museum at Google Cultural InstituteArago: People, Postage & the Post
{{authority control United States Postal Service Post office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Members of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington Neoclassical architecture in Washington, D.C. Philatelic museums in the United States History museums in Washington, D.C. Industry museums in Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Institution museums Postal history of the United States

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...