Iowa Commemorative
Posted in Uncategorized on 11/08/2005 02:47 pm by admin
Iowa Commemorative
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US $419.00
A lot has been said about the United States Post Office over the years. Some favorable and some not so favorable. However, one thing is for sure, the American mail system has come a long way since it's beginnings and has done it right one step at a time.
Although history shows that a tavern in Boston, owned by Richard Fairbanks, was the first location to handle overseas mail, it wasn't until July 26, 1775 that the United States Post Office was officially born.
It was at the meeting of the second Continental Congress in Philadelphia did our forefathers meet to start a new government. During this meeting, it was also decided that we needed a better way of delivering mail to the thirteen colonies. Thus, Benjamin Franklin was appointed as the first U.S. Postmaster General, under Continental Congress.
It was Franklin that created America's postal system; one that's still in service to this day. Franklin was also the one that developed:
- More roads and routes
- Night time mail delivery
- Regular mail schedule deliveries
Since one of the goals that the post office had was for faster delivery, it was the post office that urged for:
- Building of better roads for stagecoaches
- Steamboat usage
- The building of the railway system
Looking for a way to get mail delivery faster to the west coast, particularly California, William H. Russell began a business in 1860 which came to be known as the Pony Express. The idea was to build new or repair old relay stations approximately 10 to 15 miles from one another.
A rider would then ride a horse, taking it from one relay station to another, change horses and he would be off to the next station. A normal day would include approximately 75 to 100 miles traveled per rider. The first known Pony Express rider was Johnny Fry. However, like many businesses, the Pony Express only lasted about a year as America was able to get telegraph lines hooked up all the way to California.
The next step in mail delivery service was the use of the railway system. Although the railroad was used on and off in short runs in only certain parts of the nation, it wasn't until August 28, 1864 that the first U.S. railroad post office route became official.
Under the guidance of assistant postmaster of Chicago, George B. Armstrong, the first route was from Chicago, Illinois to Clinton, Iowa. With today's mail being delivered by trucks and planes, the last delivery run by a railway post office took place on June 30, 1977.
Next in line for the innovation of transportation was through the skies. So in 1911, the first mail carried by airplane took place. The first U.S. mail pilot was Earle H. Ovington as he flew this maiden flight between Garden City and Mineola, in New York; approximately two miles.
With the knowledge that America now had with flying, Airmail officially became part of the American postal delivery norm in 1918. Then as the mail service grew, the first transcontinental airmail test took place in 1920 and thus became a regular service in 1924.
In their continuing ways for faster and improved methods of mail delivery, the U.S. Postal Service continues to innovate, test, alter and implement new programs. A few of these items we take for granted in our every day lives. Here is just a small list of when some of the services began:
- 1847 postage stamps began
- 1852 stamped envelopes
- 1855 registered mail
- 1855 compulsory prepayment of postage
- 1885 special delivery
- 1893 first commemorative stamps
- 1914 government-owned and operated vehicle service
- 1950 residential deliveries cut back to once a day (from twice a day)
- 1963 zip code and sectional center plan
- 1964 self-service post offices
- 1968 priority mail
- 1983 zip code plus 4 digits
Today, with more technology available to the public via cell phones and computers, and with many private companies delivering packages, such as UPS, Federal Express, et al, the U.S. Post Office continues to find cost effective methods to improve productivity and at competitive pricing. Therefore, they continue to become more automated with the use of computers and mechanical machinery, such as:
- Multiline Optical Character Readers. They are able to read the address on an envelope, and attach a barcode to the envelope. It also has the ability to sort the envelopes at a rate of more than nine per second.
- Wide Area Barcode Readers. They are able to read barcodes from nearly anywhere on a letter.
- Advanced Facer-canceler Systems. They are able face, cancel, and sort mail.
- Remote Barcoding System. Is able to provide barcoding for handwritten script or mail that can't be read by the OCRs.
As you can see, the U.S. Postal Service really has come a long way since the days of Benjamin Franklin. In doing so, it has also served as a role model in sustaining a business by adjusting with the times and searching for ways to be better than ever before.
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