Opened to the public in 1993, the National Postal Museum is not just homage to the history of the United States Postal Service, but is an interactive time-honored experience. Located across Union Station in Washington D.C, the National Postal Museum is a Smithsonian Institution that comes without any of the stuffiness that’s often associated with a national museum.
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The building covers a mind-blowing 100,000 square feet, 35,000 of which is totally dedicated to exhibits. The constantly rotating exhibits at the museum keep the experience of visiting the institution fresh and exciting. Opened in September 2013, the “World Of Stamps” exhibit features a stunning all-encompassing gallery of stamps dating back to the very first stamp in 1840. Memorable standouts include the celebrated 1993 Elvis stamp and the Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech stamp.
The “Pony Express: Romance versus Reality” exhibit gives visitors a remarkable insight to the vast expansiveness of the legendary postal route. It also clues visitors in on astonishing amount of work one would have to endure for deliveries on the Pony Express and settles some myths. The “Moving the Mail” exhibit traces the history of the sources of transportation used for mail delivery, and shows how the postal service has had to adapt to the changing technological times.
Beginning this February and running until February 2016, the museum will open the powerful “Freedom Just Around the Corner: Black America from Civil War to Civil Rights” exhibit, that will chronicle the history of African Americans through stamps.
Where the National Postal Museum also distinguishes itself as an entertaining alternative to a typical drab museum is in the playful Activity Zone on their website, where netizens can see how fast they sort mail and learn the A-B-C’s of stamp collecting.
One of the most important elements of maintaining a thriving museum is the way that the institution handles the packing and shipping of its artifacts. And the very best and only place to start is always with Navis Pack & Ship.
By Steve Goble, VP of Marketing Communications for Navis Pack & Ship. When he's not spilling packing and shipping secrets, he's spending time with his family at a San Diego Padres or Chargers game. Connect with Steve on Google+ and LinkedIn.
