100 Years of Parcels, Packages, and Packets, Oh My!

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Detail, cartoon, Now That the Parcel Post is With Us, National Postal Museum
Annotation

This website overviews the early history of the U.S. Parcel Post system. Although the website states that it examines “one hundred years of parcels, packages, and packets,” most of the content is from the first few years of the service, 1913 through 1915. An introduction and six subsections—Congressional Opposition, The First Packages, The Oddest Parcels, The Service in Use, Preparing for All of Those Packages, and A Century of Posted Parcels—feature short essays and 25 photographs and cartoons.

Though the website is text-heavy, teachers could potentially use its resources with students to examine early 20th-century United States history or changes in communication within the United States.

Cartoons
Maps
Photographs
mail
U.S. Postal Service
Images
Text
Emergence of Modern US, 1890-1930
Great Depression & WWII, 1929-1945
Postwar US, 1945-Early 1970s
Contemporary US, 1968-Present
Business
Daily Life

Pony Express National Museum [MO]

Description

On April 3, 1860, a lone rider left on horseback from the gates of one of the nation's now-historic landmarks, the Pikes Peak Stables in St. Joseph, MO. Carrying saddlebags filled with the nation's hopes and dreams, the riders traveled 2,000 miles west to Sacramento, CA. These brave young souls raced against nature's cruel elements and rugged terrain in an attempt to unite a country separated by distance. Today, the stables continue to stand as a tribute to the legend and legacy of the Pony Express and its enduring era. The Museum invites visitors to come and experience the many exciting, educational, state-of-the-art exhibits conveying the need, creation, operation, and termination of the Pony Express.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.

National Postal Museum

Description

Housed in DC's Old Post Office, the National Postal Museum guides visitors through the history and development of the U.S. Postal Service, and its operation today.

The museum offers exhibits; self-guided and guided tours for school groups (for preK-8); and recreational and educational events, including lectures.

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