The National Postal Museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution, is Located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE in Washington, D.C., It served as the city's main post office from 1914 to 1986.
The museum held the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of stamps and philatelic materials, with nearly six million items. These include postage stamps, revenue stamps, and related artifacts.
The museum is free and very easy to reach by metro (It is right next to Union Station metro station by Red Line)!
I enjoyed going through their stamp collections and learning stores behind them. I especially enjoy learning the store of Owney the Postal Dog and many stores about artifacts displayed in the museum.
*Owney the Postal Dog
Owney the Postal Dog was a beloved mascot of the Railway Mail Service in the late 19th century, Owney traveled over 140,000 miles across the U.S. and even around the world. His preserved remains are on display, commemorating his unique contribution to postal history.
Owney the Postal Dog was a scruffy terrier mix who became the unofficial mascot of the Railway Mail Service (RMS) in the late 19th century. His story is one of the most charming and unique in postal history.
Owney was born in 1888. Owney was originally a stray dog who wandered into the Albany, New York post office. He developed a peculiar attachment to mailbags, often sleeping on them. Workers noticed he would follow the bags wherever they went, including onto trains. Owney began traveling on mail trains across the U.S., becoming a good luck charm for postal workers, who believed he protected the mail. As he visited new towns, postal clerks gave him dog tags or medals as souvenirs. Eventually, he wore so many that a special harness had to be made to support them.
Owney is believed to have traveled over 140,000 miles by train, including a world tour in 1895 that included stops in Asia and Europe. The RMS arranged for Owney to circle the globe by mail. He visited places like Japan, China, and Egypt. Foreign postal workers also honored him with medals and tags.
Owney died on June 11, 1897, in Toledo, Ohio. His body was preserved and mounted by the Smithsonian. He is now on display at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. A U.S. postage stamp was issued in his honor in 2011.
Owney is displayed in a glass case at the National Postal Museum, along with many of his original tags. He remains a beloved symbol of dedication and the spirit of postal workers.
