Post office structure from Dillsburg, Pennsylvania

This post office was in operation in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, from 1913 to 1971.

The town's first post office opened in 1816, seventeen years before the town was incorporated. In 1913 the postmaster moved the operation to a three-story building at the corner of York and Baltimore streets, where the post office occupied half of the ground floor.

Like many small town post offices, the Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, post office was created using modular pieces. This allowed postmasters to buy only the pieces needed and to construct their post office to the needs of their space. The lobby was separated from the mail room by these mass-produced oak sections. The prefabricated panels were purchased and assembled to fit the available floor space. These panels were produced by the Federal Equipment Company of New York, New York, and Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Panels chosen for the Dillsburg post office included one with a designated Money Order window, another for Registry mail and a third for General Delivery. The post office door was marked Postmaster and private. A separate section offered brass drops for letters, papers, and packages. Finally, the postmaster also included a section fitted with 108 rental lock boxes that allowed patrons to pick-up their mail even if the postmaster or clerks were off duty.

Although lockbox fees were retained by fourth-class postmasters, they were not a major source of revenue. It is, instead, the presence of the post office in their stores, ensuring a regular customer presence, that encouraged a steady source of income for small town postmasters.

Museum ID: 0.295370.1