US Mailboxes

A recent article about the demise of the US Mailbox in larger cities because of low volume usage:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic...571KTSJ0.DTL

What made this particularly interesting to me is the slide show of various mailboxes through the years. These two (circa 1960's, I presume) I have never seen before. Maybe they were limited to the West Coast or maybe I'm just not old enough to remember them?

wt1,

I never saw those type either, the one in the article was very common when I was growing up in the Bronx, NYC. We lost our local mailbox about 2 years ago. I only used it during Christmas time to drop off several handful of cards. Now we just leave our letters in the mailbox and the postman picks them up from there.

I can do likewise (i.e. leave letters in the mailbox for the postman to pick up). As far as I know, the only locations in the two or three towns around the vicinity where I live use the blue mailboxes outside the post office only. I don't recall the last time I saw a blue mailbox on a street corner!

Hi

The only blue mail-boxes on the street are in downtown Atlanta (if they are still there). Other than that only in front of the P.O.

Jerry B

Around my town Elgin we have plenty around but not as much as there was 10 years ago. I think I remember one every 8 block area. They now have put them at the entrances to some of the housing developments and at the local grocery stores. Otherwise not much around.

On an other note I remember also there were some green boxes that they loaded with mail for the delivery man to pick up along his route so he could keep going without returning to his truck.

We had quite a few still in Jersey Shore Pa. but up here in Curwensville there are the concrete pads where they used to stand but the only ones are the blue local and outgoing boxes at the Post Office. I miss them. There are a few "pick-up" boxes around though. essentially just regular old blue standard box but used by the PO to drop off that part of the towns mail for the local carrier to pick up along his/her route. understand? Open it up with a key and take out what the earlier mail truck dropped off for them.