National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association celebrates 250th anniversary of United States Postal Service | News, Sports, Jobs

From left to right, Berea College Folklorist Emily Hilliard, Smithsonian National Postal Museum Curator Alison Bazylinski, Public History Consultant and Researcher Sarah Johnson and National Rural Letter Carriers Association President Don Maston answer a question about the future of Rural Free Delivery in the Shepherdstown Opera House on July 24. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA) held a number of events over the past week, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Postal Service (USPS).

The Shepherdstown Opera House served as the location for the NRLCA’s July 24 event on “Delivering America: The History and Impact of Rural Free Delivery.” According to NRLCA President Don Maston, celebrating the anniversary in the historic building seemed particularly appropriate, as it was only 20 minutes away from the location of the first Rural Free Delivery (RFD) route.

“It’s an incredible honor to welcome you here tonight, to this historic town of Shepherdstown, in the heart of Jefferson County, West Virginia — the birthplace of Rural Free Delivery. A fitting home for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Postal Service,” Maston said, greeting those present in the building, as well as the hundreds of others watching via livestream.

“In 1896, just a few miles away from where we stand, the very first Rural Free Delivery route was launched in Charles Town,” Maston said of that route, which started out with Melvin T. Strider as its postman. “It was a simple, revolutionary idea, that people in America should receive mail at their homes, just like people in cities — that every address mattered, that every person mattered. That principal for universal service remains the heart of the postal service. It binds the country together.”

Maston noted that the USPS traces its roots back to one of America’s Founding Fathers. Over the years, its work has changed — going through a stage of heavy postcard delivery in the early 1900s, dubbed by historians as the “Golden Age of Postcards,” to a period of decreased letter delivery and increased package delivery in the modern day. Its purpose, regardless of these changes, has remained the same, according to Maston.

Smithsonian National Postal Museum Curator Alison Bazylinski speaks about “Delivering America: The History and Impact of Rural Free Delivery” in the Shepherdstown Opera House on July 24. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

“Two hundred fifty years ago when Benjamin Franklin became the first postmaster general, the postal service was founded, not just as a means of delivering correspondence, but as a lifeline in the beginning days, as we formed our democracy,” Maston said. “It was designed to connect businesses across businesses, to provide people access to information and to unite our brother countrymen.”

He added his belief that the future of the USPS is threatened right now, even though its cultural relevance and importance remains significant. His fellow panelists — Berea College Folklorist Emily Hilliard, Smithsonian National Postal Museum Curator Alison Bazylinski and Public History Consultant and Researcher Sarah Johnson — agreed with him.

“Rural mail delivery has been essential to the development of America. The introduction of RFD opened up the possibilities for mail order. Daily free delivery visibly increased the sale of newspapers in rural areas,” Bazylinski said. “What RFD does, is it brings outside influences to rural families. It advances culture significantly.”

According to Hilliard, one in four Americans live in a rural area. For many of them, RFD is the best means available to stay in contact with the outside world, especially with how unreliable connections to the internet and cellphone service can be in the areas in which they live. She said research shows that 22% of rural areas currently lack “sufficient broadband coverage.”

“My biggest takeaway from my research, was how rural carriers often serve as community care workers,” Hilliard said.

Public History Consultant and Researcher Sarah Johnson speaks about the history of Rural Free Delivery in the Shepherdstown Opera House on July 24. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

In 2021, Hilliard received an Archie Green Fellowship from the American Folklife Center, for her to conduct an occupational foot life documentary of RFD workers in Appalachia. She found that mail carriers preserved a sense of normalcy for many people during the Vietnam War and COVID-19 Pandemic. They continue to ensure the wellbeing of many people, through delivering prescriptions, assisting people who are unable to read mail, chatting with the elderly people on their route — many of whom never see anyone else on a daily basis — and spreading news about emergency situations to individuals and the authorities.

“Rural letter carriers go above and beyond to take care of their customers,” Hilliard said. “Rural delivery is one of the crucial ways that rural people feel the positive impact of federal public services in a daily, tangible way. This does not go unnoticed by customers. According to a 2022 report by the USPS, 81% of rural customers view the postal service as valuable.”