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| Current Exhibits |
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Fire & Ice: Hindenburg and Titanic
March 22, 2012 – January 6, 2014
As the largest, fastest, and most glamorous ships of their eras, Hindenburg and Titanic share many similarities. As anniversaries of the disasters are marked in 2012—seventy-five years since Hindenburg burned and a century since Titanic sank—many questions remain unanswered. Original objects include mail, postcards, menus, photographs, keys from the Titanic post office, and the salvaged postmark device from the Hindenburg. |
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Systems at Work
December 14, 2011 – Permanent
You drop a letter in a mailbox and then what happens? You receive mail at home or the office—how does it get there? The answer to these questions unfolds in Systems at Work, a permanent exhibition at the National Postal Museum. Systems at Work recreates the paths of letters, magazines, parcels, and other mail as they travel from sender to recipient over the last 200 years. |
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Mail Call
November 10, 2011 – Permanent
Explore the history of the military postal system through Mail Call, the newest exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution National Postal Museum. Through Mail Call, visitors can discover how military mail communication has changed throughout history. Learn about the armed forces postal system from the American Revolution to the present day and experience military mail for yourself through exciting artifacts and letters. Visitors can gain an appreciation of the importance of military mail and the hard work that went into connecting service men and women to their government, their community, and their loved ones at home. The exhibit features a number of interesting artifacts which will bring the story of military mail to life. Artifacts, along with the accompanying film “Missing You,” give visitors a chance to experience military mail for themselves. |
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Pony Express: Romance vs. Reality
April 3, 2010 - Permanent
This exhibition examines fictional and actual stories from the history of the world's best known mail carriers. |
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Alphabetilately
September 26, 2008 –January 31, 2014
This exhibition presents an alphabet of philately through 26 topics, in which each letter stands for some aspect of stamp collecting or the sending of mail. |
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Abraham Lincoln Certified Plate Proofs
November 15, 2008 – October 2013
Eleven certified plate proofs for postage stamps honoring Abraham Lincoln are on view in the Philatelic Gallery pullout frames. Certified plate proofs are the last printed proof of the plate before printing the stamps. These plate proofs are each unique, with the approval signatures and date. Issued from 1894 to 1959, the stamps feature a variety of Lincoln portraits. |
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Amelia Earhart's Personal Collection
November 12, 2007 – Permanent
Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, was an avid stamp and cover collector. On view are key pieces from her collection, including photographs and stamps commemorating her flights. She often flew signed pieces of mail that were then sold to philatelists to support her endeavors. |
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Postal Inspectors: The Silent Service
February 7, 2007 – Permanent
Today about 2,000 postal inspectors are at work across the United States investigating crimes against the mail. Learn more about the inspectors and their job in this exhibit. |
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Airmail in America
February 22, 2006 – Permanent
This exhibition examines the critical role the postal system played in the creation of America's commercial aviation industry and features the pilots and early aircraft that made it possible. |
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Networking a Nation: Star Route Service
February 21, 2006 – Permanent
This exhibition explores Star Routes -- a new mail service established in 1845 when the Postal Service began hiring contractors to use the most appropriate and efficient methods of transportation to carry the mail. |
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On the Road
December 23, 2004 – Permanent
Featuring a 1931 Model A Ford Parcel Post truck and a contemporary Long Life Vehicle mail truck, this exhibition explores the history of city mail vehicles -- from the first tests in 1899 to the present. |
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Binding the Nation
July 30, 1993 - Permanent
This gallery provides an overview of mail service in America from colonial times through the 19th century, stressing the importance of written communication in the young nation. |
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Customers and Communities
July 30, 1993 - Permanent
This gallery focuses on the modern changes in mail service introduced at the turn of the 20th century. |
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Moving the Mail
July 30, 1993 - Permanent
Faced with the challenge of moving the mail quickly, the postal service looked to trains, automobiles, airplanes, and buses to deliver the mail. |
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Philatelic Gallery
July 30, 1993 - Permanent
For both the serious collector and those who know little about the renowned hobby of stamp collecting, this gallery highlights some of the best philatic collections in the world. |
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