More than kisses
letters mingle souls
for thus friends
absent speak.
...John Donne
While in DC, my grandson was going to navigate (using a map) and get us to the White House Visitors Center. I didn't think we were headed in the correct direction but I went with it anyway. We were on our own while my son and daughter in law attended the law enforcement memorial ceremony. Well, we walked for awhile and were actually headed in the opposite direction. Dillon wanted to immediately turn around and head back the other way.
However, I discovered the big building across the street was the National Postal Museum. I was personally thrilled. I love stamps, letters, postcards and basically anything postal. Dillon was not happy because it wasn't on our itinerary but I commented that sometimes mistakes lead to nice surprises. He finally decided to go with the flow and had a great time inside.
The Smithsonian National Postal Museum is devoted to the colorful and engaging history of the nation's mail service and showcases the largest and most comprehensive collection of stamps and philatelic material in the world.
There is a statue of Benjamin Franklin called the father of the Postal Service of the United States. Franklin was appointed postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737, holding the office until 1753, when he was promoted to postmaster general of America, the first to hold office. Franklin was responsible for the British colonies from Pennsylvania north and east, as far as the island of Newfoundland.
The spectacular 90 foot high atrium features three vintage airmail planes suspended high above while the historic lobby offers grand Beaux-Arts-style space that features a rosette ceiling and elegant marble floors and columns.
Called the Postal Square Building, it served as the main post office for the city of Washington DC from the building's completion in 1914 to 1986. It now houses the National Postal Museum.
Dillon designed his own postal stamp and got to take some cancelled stamps and free historic postcards. He learned about Owney, the postal dog, who was the mascot for the Railway Post Office and travelled over 140,000 miles in his lifetime. All the displays were very nice. I loved everything. I even bought some stamps!
We never made it to the White House Visitors Center or the National Museum of American History as it was threatening to rain...just so much to see and do in DC! We headed to the Metro station and Devin successfully got us back to our hotel in Virginia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_Square_Building
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Postal_Museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owney_(dog)
https://postalmuseum.si.edu/
https://www.history.com/news/us-post-office-benjamin-franklin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philately
