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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<\/p>\n
SHEPHERDSTOWN \u2014 The National Rural Letter Carriers\u2019 Association (NRLCA) held a number of events over the past week, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Postal Service (USPS).<\/p>\n
The Shepherdstown Opera House served as the location for the NRLCA\u2019s July 24 event on \u201cDelivering America: The History and Impact of Rural Free Delivery.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an incredible honor to welcome you here tonight, to this historic town of Shepherdstown, in the heart of Jefferson County, West Virginia \u2014 the birthplace of Rural Free Delivery. A fitting home for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Postal Service,\u201d Maston said, greeting those present in the building, as well as the hundreds of others watching via livestream.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 1896, just a few miles away from where we stand, the very first Rural Free Delivery route was launched in Charles Town,\u201d Maston said of that route, which started out with Melvin T. Strider as its postman. \u201cIt was a simple, revolutionary idea, that people in America should receive mail at their homes, just like people in cities \u2014 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maston noted that the USPS traces its roots back to one of America\u2019s Founding Fathers. Over the years, its work has changed \u2014 going through a stage of heavy postcard delivery in the early 1900s, dubbed by historians as the \u201cGolden Age of Postcards,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
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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<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo 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,\u201d Maston said. \u201cIt was designed to connect businesses across businesses, to provide people access to information and to unite our brother countrymen.\u201d<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 Berea College Folklorist Emily Hilliard, Smithsonian National Postal Museum Curator Alison Bazylinski and Public History Consultant and Researcher Sarah Johnson \u2014 agreed with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cRural 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,\u201d Bazylinski said. \u201cWhat RFD does, is it brings outside influences to rural families. It advances culture significantly.\u201d<\/p>\n
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 \u201csufficient broadband coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy biggest takeaway from my research, was how rural carriers often serve as community care workers,\u201d Hilliard said.<\/p>\n
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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<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 many of whom never see anyone else on a daily basis \u2014 and spreading news about emergency situations to individuals and the authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cRural letter carriers go above and beyond to take care of their customers,\u201d Hilliard said. \u201cRural 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tShepherdstown resident Joy Lewis shops in Sand & Pine Co. on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tLeesburg, Va. resident Maddie Humerick, left, stands beside her sister, Martinsburg resident Chloe Kissinger, at the front of Sand & Pine Co. on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSome home decor items inspired by the book series, \u201cEric and Eloise,\u201d sit on a shelf in Sand & Pine Co. Photo by Tabitha Johnston \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSand & Pine Co. is now located at 141 West German Street in Shepherdstown. Photo by Tabitha Johnston<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tShepherdstown-based artist Rebecca Grace Jones sketches out a painting on a block of wood at the \u201cNature Is Our Muse\u201d art show in Evolve on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tAtlanta, Ga. resident Falynn Schmidt picks out a painting at the \u201cNature Is Our Muse\u201d art show in Evolve on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tJudy Rand, left, and Rebecca Grace Jones stand beside some of the art in their show, \u201cNature Is Our Muse,\u201d in Evolve on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSmithsonian National Postal Museum Curator Alison Bazylinski speaks about \u201cDelivering America: The History and Impact of Rural Free Delivery\u201d in the Shepherdstown Opera House on July 24. Photo by Tabitha Johnston<\/p>\n
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