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t-shirts st. louis t-shirts history t-shirts historic t-shirts historical t-shirts collection box t-shirts drop box t-shirts mail box t-shirts mailbox t-shirts letter box t-shirts mail t-shirts postbox t-shirts curbside t-shirts rural t-shirts rural free delivery t-shirts rfd t-shirts

photographs st. louis photos history photos historic photos historical photos collection box photos drop box photos mail box photos mailbox photos letter box photos mail photos postbox photos curbside photos rural photos rural free delivery photos rfd photos

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Entitled "Mailboxes for squatters along the river, St. Louis, Missouri." Before the introduction of rural free delivery (RFD) by the Post Office in 1896, many rural residents had no access to the mail unless they collected it at a post office located many miles from their homes or hired a private express company to deliver it. For this reason, mailboxes did not become popular in rural America until curbside RFD mail delivery by the Post Office was an established service. In 1923 did the Post Office finally mandate that every household install a mailbox or mail slot in order to receive home delivery of mail. Originally designed only for incoming mail delivery, curbside mailboxes were soon fitted with a semaphore or signal flag mounted on an attached arm to signal the postman of outgoing mail, but also by the postman to inform the recipient that incoming mail had been delivered - a convenience to all during periods of freezing or inclement weather. Curbside mailboxes located on a rural r...