In addition to delivering letters carrying family news and election results, the U.S. Postal Service has been the agent for progress with everything from our road systems to commercial air travel.
Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of America’s past.
These stories are about Americans—people just like you—who have made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around the site and find what inspires you.
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Owney, The Post Office Dog
The time was winter 1886, and the place was the post office in Albany, New York, where a cold, bedraggled fox terrier made his way inside looking for shelter.
The postal clerks took him in, fed him, and provided the dog with a warm place to sleep. Owney, as they called him, felt right at home and decided it was his job to follow the mail wagons from the post office to the rail station and back again.
One day he slipped on to a rail car, and several days later he caught another train back to Albany. Owney began to travel regularly, probably encouraged by some humans, but he always returned to the home office. The clerks in Albany were fond of him and were worried about losing him, so they gave him a collar with the inscription, “Owney, Albany P.O., N.Y.”
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Buck, First Dog Honored on a Conservation Stamp
King Buck (1948-1962), a handsome black Labrador, was a gifted athlete.
Recognizing Progress: The 1938 Celebration of Airmail Week
Today, e-mail travels in a matter of moments, text messages arrive in real time, and almost all items sent through the U.S. Mail spend at least part of their time on an airplane.
New Postage Stamp Honors Late Cartoonist Bill Mauldin
If you have ever stopped by the post office to buy a special type of stamp for a wedding invitation or a holiday card, then you have had the pleasure of admiring the various stamp designs that the U.S. Postal Service offers.