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.

America at Work, America at Leisure: Motion Pictures from 1894-1915

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Photo, Boys diving, Honolulu, American Mutoscope & Biograph Company, 1902, LoC
Annotation

This collection of 150 motion pictures produced between 1894 and 1915 deals with work, school, and leisure activities in the U.S. The films include footage of the U.S. Postal Service in 1903, cattle breeding, firefighters, ice manufacturing, logging, physical education classes, amusement parks, sporting events, and local festivals and parades. Each film is accompanied by a brief summary.

A special presentation furnishes additional information on three categories: America at school, work, and leisure. Essays of roughly 1,000-words provide context and general descriptions of films in each category, display 15 illustrative photographs, and link to related films. A 31-work bibliography provides suggestions for further reading and websites on American labor, education, and leisure.

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.