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| Photo courtesy Smithsonian Institute |
Nancy Pope, who is a historian at the Smithsonian Institute Postal History Museum
The number of Post Offices peaked in 1901 at 76,945, but in 10 years declined to just 58,729, according to the Smithsonian.
“More than 18,000 Post Offices closed in that decade,” she said.
It was primarily due to Rural Free Delivery, that ambitious new service that put horses, carriages, motorcycles and jalopies out on rural roads to deliver to people’s homes.
RFD gave birth to road improvements, mail order companies and improved standards of living.
But many small, fourth-class offices were no longer needed. Instead, the Postal Department consolidated many of these smaller offices into single, centralized offices.
“Many rural Americans welcomed the consolidations,” said Pope. “They may have lost a Post Office, but they gained regular mail delivery. It was a welcome exchange.”
7 comments:
Now we're getting rid of offices AND going back to irregular service - PMG wants fewer days, and longer service standards.
It's great that the post office closings were a trade-off for an improvement in service. What's the trade-off now? A postal service that's being dismantled from within.
Look at everyone around the post office. As it was back then...as it is now...a place for people to meet and bond as a community.
I believe employee ownership of the Postal Service is the best, and quite possibly the only, solution. Any thoughts on this?
The ownership idea is interesting, but may be too late. With all of the pblicity, there has been nothing positive. A few years ago, we were termed stakeholders, as if we had any control over the decision making. Suggestions are rarely welcomed in this organization anymore.
With the PMG pushing for privatization as quickly as possible, the tidal wave of PO closings and the doomsday declarations from the media, I think the time for employee ownership is past. It might have worked a few years ago, though. I guarantee my customers aren't thrilled about their PO closing when they're facing a 60 mile, one-way trip to town to mail a package, buy a Money Order or send a Registered package. Any, no, they can't do it online as most of them don't even have computers.
I think we should have employee owned post offices.....like McDonald franchizes. Let me (the PM) buy my office and contract the service as my salary. Take what they are spending now....I'll run this office for half that amount. But in full consideration...let me hire my own employees (carriers) locally (no unions), no postal inspectors or MPOO's watching my every minute used, and no daily reporting.
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