Signs of the Times

Well, Signs of the Dates to be precise. In exploring the rural post offices of Pennsylvania I came across several offices which, under POSt"Plan", are slated to become two-hour PMR-operated locations. Each was being studied for closure under RAOI last year. Each also has another nice aspect: the sign for the post office tells us just when it was established.

Here's a map of the places featured:


Parryville, PA post office:


The Parryville post office, according to USPS's Leased Facilities Report, has been at 177 Main Street since 1961. I always love the ones that share residence with people's homes. The nice stonework porch leads us to the patriotically colored sign for the post office...


It's a mark of pride to the town that they've had an operating post office since the early 1800s; May 30, 1818 to be precise.


Fisher, PA post office:

Located in a photogenic, hilly corner of PA, Fisher has the longest Saturday hours around: presently 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Yet I still couldn't find my way there the first time I tried to find the town nearly three years ago. I caught up with Fisher one Sunday morning last autumn; the post office is housed with the general store. The sign notes that the location was established August 20, 1860.




Cambra, PA post office:

A house and real estate office share a building with the Cambra post office, which has a fantastic hand-painted sign declaring its date of establishment -- 1822.





Talmage, PA post office:
The thing about this blink-and-you-miss-it post office, located within a mile of the Brownstown P.O., is that you'll probably miss it even while staring right at it. It's located at the side of a house obscured by hedges. The only indications are the pole-mounted collection box -- which looks like you could pick it up and spirit it away (you can't; trust me), and the sign. At least it's a sign with character.




Now this is what I'm talking about: "serving our community".


Jersey Mills, PA post office:
This one was fantastic. Jersey Mills is located in a dispersed string of three post offices along the Pine Creek Gorge northwest of Williamsport; other POs are Waterville and Slate Run. Each was an RAOI office last year. The Jersey Mills location was incredibly photogenic, sandwiched between the main road and a bike trail used by locals and tourists alike. There's a sign facing either line of traffic. And it's a good thing, too, because if it weren't for the sign, you'd just see an ordinary-looking red house with a worn driveway.





Again, gotta love the old-style collection box:

First Day in Philly

For my first day in Philadelphia I unpacked, and then managed to visit 18 post offices after starting at 11 a.m. Here are two architectural notes of interest:

1. Glenolden, PA:

Look at the font. This has got to be '60s, because the signage was created after the advent of ZIP codes, and there was a sign in the building that still referred to the "Post Office Department" (so the latest it could be is '71). It's unbelievably garish, but fantastic all the same. It looks more at home on a car dealership than a post office, but it's the uniqueness of individual offices that makes USPS's infrastructure wonderful.

The main signage, closer up:


And have a closer look at the ZIP code. It's just too cool:

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2. Ridley Park, PA:


A good example of when chatting with clerks in a non-busy office yields neat information. The post office might not look too interesting, but back when the building was completed in 1976, the office was heralded for its use of solar panels. Here a clerk directed me to a photograph on the wall -- an aerial shot of the new post office, complete with six rows of solar panels, angled diagonally on the roof. This was told to me by Clerk #2, at the right window of the office.

According to Kaiman Lee's Encyclopedia of energy-efficient building design: 391 practical case studies, the solar panels provided 20% of the post office's heating and cooling energy needs. The 6,000-sq.-ft. building, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, not only featured 2,500 sq. ft. of solar panels on the roof, but utilized other energy-saving materials in its construction as well. These included "insulated porcelain metal panels" as well as insulated glass windows.

(The solar panels were removed ca. 1990.)

I got to talking with Clerk #1, at the left window, about First-Day Ceremonies, to which he said that he'd only been to one, and it was held at that very Ridley Park office. The year after the Ridley Park P.O. was completed, USPS chose to inaugurate its 13-cent Energy Development stamp at Ridley Park.

Here's a First-Day Cover featuring a silk cachet; it's an item currently being offered for sale on eBay for $1.25: