The National Postal Museum, Washington DC
The United States Postal Service has a history that is longer than the country itself. It was established in 1775 by the 2nd Continental Congress. It is such a part of American history that in 1886, the Smithsonian Institute established the National Philatelic Collection. The collection was housed at the Arts and Industry Building until 1963. The collection was moved to the Museum of American History when it opened in 1964. Here the collection was expanded to include more artifacts from the history of the Postal Service. In 1993, the main post office in DC was renovated, and the National Postal Museum was established and moved into its current home there. Benjamin Franklin by William Zorach. Franklin was the first Postmaster General On the main floor of the Post Office is the new home for the Philatelic Collection. This large gallery contains a range of stamps form U.S. history, along with at least one stamp for almost every country in the world. The lower level of the Pos...