Canadian Postal Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1971 |
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| Dissolved | 2012 |
| Location | within Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec. |
| Type | Postal Museum |
| Canadian Museum of History Corporation network | |
The Canadian Postal Museum (CPM) was a special place that used to be inside the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec. It was one of the biggest postal museums in the world. People loved to visit it!
This museum wasn't just about stamps. It told the amazing story of how mail and messages traveled across Canada. It showed how important letters and packages were for people and businesses throughout history. The museum also looked at how mail worked in other countries.
Contents
What the Museum Collected
The Canadian Postal Museum had many cool items. Its collections included a writing desk from Sandford Fleming. He designed Canada's very first postage stamp!
The museum also had letter boxes from Canada and other countries. You could see old postal uniforms, mail bags, and rural mail boxes. There were even post office signs and equipment used for sorting mail.
One of the most exciting parts was Reflections of Canada: the National Stamp Collection. This collection had an example of every single postage stamp ever made in Canada. The museum worked to collect, keep safe, and explain objects about Canada's postal past.
How the Museum Grew and Changed
The Canadian Postal Museum started in 1971. It first opened its doors in 1974 as the National Postal Museum.
In 1988, it became part of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. It changed its name to the Canadian Postal Museum in 1996. The museum then moved into its own special space within the Museum of Civilization in 1997.
What Happened to the Collections?
The museum closed in 2012. This happened because the Canadian Museum of Civilization was getting ready to become the Canadian History Museum.
The Postal Museum's collections are now stored safely. The Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation manages them. This group also looks after the Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Children's Museum.
Many items from the postal collection were moved. They are now part of the new Canadian history gallery. The national stamp collection, Reflections of Canada, was moved to a new gallery. Some items are also part of traveling exhibitions. These shows visit other museums across Canada. You can still find online exhibitions about Canadian postal history on the Museum's website.
Museum Connections
The Canadian Postal Museum worked with other groups. These included the CMA and the Virtual Museum of Canada. In 2000, it joined a special group called the Club de Monte-Carlo de l'élite de la philatélie.
See also
- Postal Museum
- Canada Post
