Mail Boxes

History of Mail Boxes

Before personal and business mail began to be delivered to private addresses in the mid 19th century, people had to go to their post office to pay for postage and for mail to be delivered; the home owner had to be known so that it could be handed over personally by the postman.

It soon became necessary that every private household had their own personal mailbox, either in the form of a letterbox cut into the front door of their home, or as a mailbox on a post on their property which was easily accessible to the postman.

In 1849, the British Postal service encouraged all private residents or businesses to either have a letterbox or dedicated mailbox which was weatherproof and could hold a relatively large amount of correspondence.

In the United States, postal boxes became a legal requirement in 1923, with basic dimensional guidelines. The classic US mailbox with semaphore flag was designed by US mail employee Roy J Joroleman and became hugely popular.

Although the most typical mail boxes are locking roadside mail boxes and wall mounted mail boxes, they are not necessarily the only varieties available to customers.

Types Of Mailboxes

Homeowners and commercial customers have a variety of options for mail delivery, though times are changing and the need for more security has generated additional options. In many areas, it is no longer safe for homeowners to use unlocked residential mailboxes.

One of the trendiest additions in the mailbox market is the cluster mailbox. Extremely common in townhouse areas, these boxes group a number of mailboxes together and the residents then get their mail from the large cluster mailbox unit.

While they could be somewhat annoying for those who must leave their homes or offices to gather mail, they permit the mail carrier to make a lot fewer stops and thus deliver the mail faster.

Many people may also feel they are less secure than wall-mounted mailboxes as they are not always located close to the building. Since a key is required, they’re just as secure if not more so than the wall mounted mailboxes you see in apartment buildings.

Door slots are also an option, although they are becoming less common in residential areas than they once were. Often in commercial buildings it’s quite common to see door slots with connected locked boxes on the reverse side to catch the mail.

This enables the mail to get there securely within the box as opposed to being scattered all over the floor. Many professional customers also use the boxes when they offer after hours drop off of payments in order to avoid coming in to a pile of checks that have made their way all over the floor of the front office.

Remote Mailboxes

Another solution that some people pick is a mail drop which means they pay a vendor to receive their mail. Companies like Mailboxes Etc., the U.S. Postal Service, and UPS offer customers an alternative for secure delivery of their mail to an assigned post office box.

Lots of people choose to get their mail dropped at these locations because they don’t want their mail delivered to their home or office, most often for security reasons.

Although there is much less mail being delivered today than 10 years ago, the future of mail boxes is secure (in my opinion). E mails, and on-line banking has substantially diminished the amount of mail. Catalogs can be viewed on-line as well.

But there's still a need to send the occasional letter or birthday card. I believe we will someday hit a point where people will miss the ability to write a personal note and the trend will reverse slightly. The written word will never go totally out of style. At least, one can hope.

I hope this has given you ideas about the various choices you have when selecting a mail box that's right for you. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions about mail boxes by clicking here.

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