Post office facts for kids
A post office is a special building or shop where you can send and receive mail. It's a place where people go to send letters and packages. You can also buy postage stamps, envelopes, and other things needed for mailing items.
Post offices offer many services. They might have post office boxes you can rent to get your mail. Some post offices also help with government forms, like passport applications. They can even process payments for things like road tax or help with savings accounts. The person in charge of a post office is called a postmaster.
A long time ago, before postal codes existed, mail was sent to specific post offices. In the 1800s in the United States, small towns were often named after their post offices. This happened because the Post Office Department wanted each post office name to be unique in a state.
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How Post Offices Got Their Name
The word "post-office" has been used since the 1650s. This was soon after private mail services became legal in England in 1635. In early England, post riders were couriers on horseback. They were "posted" (placed) every few hours along special roads called post roads. These roads connected major cities, which were called "post towns."
At these stops, called posting houses or post houses, riders could get fresh horses. This helped important letters travel quickly without delays. In early America, post offices were also known as stations. These terms changed as horses and coaches were replaced by trains, airplanes, and trucks.
The term "post office" usually means a government building that serves customers. A "General Post Office" is sometimes the main office for a country's postal service. This is true even if it doesn't serve customers directly. A building used only for sorting mail is called a sorting office or delivery office. These often have a large central area for sorting. Places that combine mail processing with train stations or airports are called mail exchanges.
India's Postal System
In India, post offices are found in almost every village with a village council. They are also in towns and cities across the country. India's postal system is now called India Post. It is run by the Indian government. India Post handles letters, postcards, packages, stamps, and money orders (money transfers).
Some post offices in India offer fast delivery services. They also provide payment or bank savings services. It is becoming more common for Indian post offices to sell insurance or accept payments for utility bills. Each Indian post office has a unique six-digit code called the Postal Index Number, or PIN. This PIN helps identify each post office.
Private courier and delivery services also have offices. However, these are usually not called "post offices." An exception is Germany, which has privatized its national postal system.
Abbreviations like PO are used for post office. GPO stands for General Post Office, and LPO for Licensed Post Office.
The Long History of Mail
There is proof that royal couriers delivered messages for Egyptian pharaohs as early as 2400 BCE. It's possible this service started even earlier. Other ancient systems of post houses might have provided mounted courier services too.
In the Persian Empire, there was a system called Chapar Khaneh along the Royal Road. Similar mail systems were set up in India and China. These were created by the Mauryan and Han dynasties in the 2nd century BCE.
The Roman historian Suetonius said that Augustus organized the Roman transportation and courier network. This was called the Cursus Publicus. Local officials had to provide couriers who would deliver messages. Local post houses (stationes) and private rest houses (mansiones) cared for couriers. The Roman emperor Diocletian later created two systems. One used fresh horses for urgent mail, and the other used strong oxen for large shipments.
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis family started regular mail service from Brussels in the 16th century. They managed the Imperial Post of the Holy Roman Empire. The British Postal Museum says the oldest working post office in the world is in Sanquhar, Scotland. This post office has been open continuously since 1712. Back then, horses and stagecoaches carried the mail.
In rural parts of Canada in the 1800s, a "way office" system was used. Villagers could leave letters there, which were then taken to the nearest post office. They could also pick up their mail from the way office.
Modern Mail Services
Today, many places have mailboxes and post office boxes. These are used to drop off or pick up mail and small packages. You can use them outside post offices or when offices are closed.
Germany's national postal system, Deutsche Post, started using Pack-Stations in 2001. These are special lockers for both dropping off and picking up packages. In the 2000s, the United States Postal Service began installing Automated Postal Centers (APCs). These are found in post offices and other stores. APCs can print postage and accept mail and small packages. They are useful when post offices are closed or busy.
Famous Post Office Buildings
Still Working Today
- General Post Office in Dublin (opened 1818): This is the main office for the Irish post. It was also important during the 1916 Easter Uprising.
- General Post Office (1864): Located in Kolkata, India.
- General Post Office (1913): The main post office of Mumbai, India. It is one of the world's largest, covering about 11,000 square meters.
- James Farley Post Office (1912): America's largest working post office, in New York City. It has a famous quote on its front: ""Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds""
- Polish Post Office: This site saw intense fighting during the 1939 Nazi Germany invasion of Danzig.
No Longer Post Offices
- General Post Office (1842): Washington, D.C.'s first all-marble building. It is now the Hotel Monaco, a four-star hotel.
- Buenos Aires Central Post Office (1908): This building is now the Bicentennial Cultural Center.
- Old Main Post Office (1921): A very large, now empty building in Chicago.
- Utrecht Post Office: Since 2020, this building in Utrecht, Netherlands, has been a large public library.
Images for kids
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A post office building in Edithburgh, Australia
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The West Toledo Branch Post Office in Toledo, Ohio, in 1912
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See also
In Spanish: Oficina de Correos para niños
