By the mid-1800s adhesive postage stamps were widely used, and the Post Office Department recognized that people no longer needed to go to the post office to deposit their letters. Instead, they could keep stamps at home and mail letters at their leisure. So the department began to build and distribute mailboxes throughout U.S. cities.

Credit for patenting the first letter box officially sanctioned by the Post Office Department goes to a Philadelphia iron products manufacturer, named Albert Potts. His idea, which was patented on March 9, 1858, was to incorporate the letter box into either existing street side lamppost, or new lampposts to be provided by his firm. Pott's receptacles were small. As a result, they probably required frequent emptying. To eliminate the constant need for collections, a larger box was obviously required.

In 1860 a contract was awarded to John Murray for the production of 1,600 larger lamppost letter boxes. Like the Potts' boxes, these were literally incorporated into the lamp posts. No original examples of the Murray mailbox are known to have survived.

Multibox Collection Cast Iron Parcel Delivery Letter Box Manufacturer Product Information: Item No.: #3004 Description: Large Volume Parcel Drop Box Product Dimension: W456xD450xH1055 mm Material: Galvanized steel Finish: Powder coating, high quality external polyster Sand / Black / Lite green, or Color can be customized Lock: Combination code lock Function: Mail, letter, post, newspaper, parcel. Heavy Duty Cast Iron front with galvanised steel box, HARP emblem on the door with brass 7 lever safe lock. Made in 2 sizes for building in to the wall or pillar. View More Details. Cast Iron Letter Slot. Heavy Duty Cast Iron Letter slots for fixing to a pillar or to a wall. - Each Letter Box within the range is supplied with two keys so that you have a spare. If you're looking for something a little more bespoke, you can make life easier for the postman and feature your house number on your Letter Box - available on request. We have the Cast Iron Post Box for you. Each lockable letter box is supplied with two sets of keys and fully assembled, so all you have to think about. Lumley Designs manufactures a huge range of cast iron post boxes that are all hand made in the UK. Forged in the heart of the West Midlands the attention to detail and craftsmanship of all the products is unrivalled. Whatever you post box needs we should have a solution from simple letterplates to highly decorative through the wall boxes. Their cast iron boxes were designed to be hung anywhere, from telegraph poles to the sides of buildings. The remnants of this Orr & Painter letter box was found following the great Johnstown Flood of 1889, a major disaster that cost thousands of lives.

The Orr & Painter iron manufacturers of Reading, Pennsylvania began manufacturing another style of mailbox in the early 1880s. Their cast iron boxes were designed to be hung anywhere, from telegraph poles to the sides of buildings.

During the same year as the Johnstown Flood, the Post Office Department ordered the production of a new style mailbox. Designed by Willard D. Doremus, three sizes of this style of box were produced. These boxes were not very strong and were easily shattered by thieves who made off with the mail. The lip over the letter slot often broke, letting in rain and snow.

Cast Iron Letters And Numbers

By 1891 the U.S. Post Office Department had over 48,400 letter boxes of various types in use around the country. When postal officials accepted this style box, developed by Eugene D. Scheble, a dentist from Toledo, Ohio, the postal system encountered a great deal of trouble. Illegal deals were involved in the selection of the mailbox. Ultimately several prominent persons were indicted by a grand jury in 1903 on charges of conspiracy and fraud in connection with the letter box contracts, but not before more than 49,300 Scheble style boxes had been purchased. The Scheble mailbox was made of sheet metal, not iron.

The Van Dorn Iron Works of Cleveland, Ohio, was selected to make better boxes. Although Van Dorn boxes were known for their durability to weather, they were rather homely in appearance. Despite the fact that some models were 'spruced up' by the addition of fancier handles, they were generally so unattractive that in some cities local postmasters were requested, if not absolutely required, to remove them from boulevards, avenues, and streets where the letter boxes were out of harmony with the ornate electric lampposts then in use.

The color of some Van Dorn letter boxes was another major problem. For a brief period, some boxes were painted bright red. These were frequently confused for similarly painted fire alarms and police call boxes. To overcome this, postal officials directed that boxes should generally be painted dark green.

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Ironmongery World Black Antique Cast Iron Tudor Letter Box Plate 11' x 4': DIY & Tools. Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders. Shop Ironmongery World Black Antique Cast Iron Tudor Letter Box Plate 11' x 4'.. HEAVY DUTY BLACK ANTIQUE CAST IRON LETTER BOX PLATE 。 SIZE: LENGTH 11' X WIDTH 4' OPENING SLOT DIMENSIONS 45MM X 193MM 。 DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FIXING HOLES 232MM 。 MATERIAL:MALLEABLE CAST IRON 。 COMES WITH FIXING BOLT 。 heavy duty black antique cast iron size: length ' x width 4' opening slot dimensions 45mm x 9mm distance between the fixing holes 22mm material: malleable cast iron comes with fixing bolt 。 。 。

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