| , you may not use the mail as often as people did | | | | Benjamin Franklin was appointed our first U.S. |
| in the past. Thanks to technology such as | | | | postmaster. That same year, U.S. congress |
| telephones, text messaging, e-mails, and much | | | | required the establishment of set routes with |
| more, mail has been nearly forgotten. But | | | | specific sorting and distribution centers. Although |
| it’s important to understand why mail and | | | | security of the letters was a problem, many |
| mailboxes are still needed even with | | | | people were happy just to have a letter in the |
| today’s technological advances. | | | | mail. |
| In 1639, Robert Fairbanks of Boston, | | | | Security was always an issue back in the times of |
| Massachusetts, used his home as the first | | | | the Fairbanks post office as well as it is an issue |
| centralized sorting and distributing center for mail. | | | | today. Important information such as documents |
| Like wildfire, society caught on pretty quick and | | | | with personal information was often lost. Today, |
| soon enough writing letters was the popular thing | | | | the United States Post Office works hard to |
| to do. Eventually, Fairbanks’ home was | | | | deliver mail as securely as possible. Unfortunately, |
| just too small to be the only place that sorted | | | | people still find that their mail is often missing or |
| and distributed mail. Soon after, Boston coffee | | | | never comes whatsoever. Most resort to an |
| houses came to the rescue. Fairbanks would pick | | | | individual locked mailbox, never realizing that the |
| up and drop off letters to the coffee houses in | | | | entire community they live in most likely has the |
| the area and residents familiar to that coffee | | | | same problem. A locked mail box unit offers a |
| shop would use it as their post office. | | | | solution to this problem. |
| Even more interesting, many people are unaware | | | | Security locked mailboxes are ideal to be used by |
| that the first postal routes were done by | | | | major facilities where a number of people will find |
| volunteers on horseback. In 1665, thoughts of the | | | | mail security an issue. Places such as: prisons, |
| post office were spreading fast. More and more | | | | college dorms, private postal centers, government |
| cities and states wanted access to other cities | | | | agencies, and military bases will find locked |
| and states. The idea of people delivering mail by | | | | mailboxes a necessity. |
| horseback was then considered and carried out. | | | | Specifically, these locked mailboxes are made |
| Horses were dressed in saddle bags full of letters | | | | from zinc die cast doors and frames. The |
| and other pieces of mail. Volunteers, if healthy | | | | compartments are held together with four major |
| enough, would carry out routes across hundreds | | | | screws and can be stacked-two units on top of |
| of miles. Some letters only took, at shortest, | | | | each other at a time. Each individual mailbox is |
| about two weeks to get to its destination. Other | | | | capable of being locked and opened with a key. |
| letters could take up to a month to be delivered | | | | The unit itself can be mounted adjacently to each |
| and in cold harsh winters, people were lucky to | | | | other or to wall studs. Most importantly, they are |
| get mail at all. In 1775, 100 years after the idea of | | | | USPS certified! |
| sending a letter was considered and acted upon, | | | | |