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National Postal Museum
Eric Long

Hours:

  • 10 to 5:30
    Closed December 25

Location:

  • 2 Massachusetts Ave. at 1st Street, NE
    Washington, DC

Phone/Website:

Metro:

Red Line
  • Union Station

 

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    Shop at the National Postal Museum

    The Postal Museum Store has a large selection of books, calendars, postcards and posters.

    View all Smithsonian stores

    Eat at the National Postal Museum

    Although the Postal Museum does not have an on-site cafe, many Smithsonian museums do.

    View all Smithsonian cafes

    Delivering Hope

    Located on Capitol Hill next to Union Station, the National Postal Museum is housed in a Beaux Arts-style building designed by Daniel Burnham. From 1914 to 1986, the building was the Washington City Post Office.

    Highlights

    Mail Call (Opens Nov. 10, 2011) (Permanent). Learn the history of military mail from the American Revolution to the present time.

    Systems at Work (Opens fall 2011) (Permanent). Drop a letter in the mail and then what happens? Find out about the people and machines that keep the mail moving.

    Networking a Nation

    Pony Express: Romance vs. Reality (Permanent). The legendary service was short-lived (April 1860 to October 1861), but it owes its enduring fame to the romanticization of the American West.

    Moving the Mail (Indefinite). See how a letter gets delivered to obscure places like the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

    Collecting History: 125 Years of the National Philatelic Collection (Aug. 8, 2010-Jan. 9, 2012). The oldest intact national stamp collection celebrates its 125th anniversary.

    Binding the Nation (Indefinite). George Washington envisioned a nation bound together by a system of post roads and post offices. Learn about mail service from the time of the Colonies to the 19th century.

    Fun for students:goSmithsonian.com/SIConnections

    Become a member of the National Postal Museum.