Mystery Crates Revealed

The National Postal Museum reports 30 years ago, 27 wooden crates were sealed in a Smithsonian storage facility. Their contents were a mystery until museum technician Rebecca Johnson began opening them this year.

Some of the interesting objects Johnson discovered included hand-operated machines that once canceled mail to badges postal workers would wear on their caps.

This Saturday, from 1:00-3:00, visitors can find out about work behind the scenes at the Postal Museum and take a look at some of the "mystery objects" Johnson cleaned, measured, and organized.

Shown above, the contents of one of the crates.

For more about the Postal Museum and its activities and displays, click here to read an article by Washington Parent columnist Julie Bloss Kelsey who writes, "As a lifelong stamp collector, I was excited to take my husband and sons on a trip to the National Postal Museum. My 7-year-old, however, was not convinced. 'I don’t want to go!' he whined. 'All they’re gonna have is old letters and maybe a 2,000-year-old envelope' Fortunately, my son was mistaken.”