But, some in Akron are putting together a rather unusual hot spot, a post office museum.
“The letter carrier sees a customer six days a week. The letter carrier becomes a friend, becomes a hero in some cases where they’ve saved lives,” said Luanne Daigneault, secretary to the Akron Postmaster.
From mailbags to old uniforms, current and former Akron postal employees have collected a lot of memorabilia, including a large donation from the family of a former postmaster.
“We have old photos, booklets, charts, notes, many important things in Akron history” Daigneault said. “It’s important we honor those who’ve work hard to serve the community. This is special to us.”
Though the staff isn’t quite sure when the display will open, they hope the community will donate more items, making this piece of local history accessible to the public.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” said Bob Lowry, a former postal employee. “Why didn’t they think of it sooner? It takes a lot of time, money, help. It’s history. And you can’t get it back.”
Lowry is no stranger to the rich history within the post office.
He retired from his job in 1978, after delivering mail to Akron residents for 33 years.
“Hardly anyone had a mailbox number or anything like that, it may have said a name and just ‘Akron, Ohio,” Lowry said,”And a carrier would yell,’ Anybody got a Mary Jones?’ ‘Yeah I got one.’
“We knew people, it was not like today when it runs through a machine and goes back if they don’t know it. It was more personal,” he said.
At one point early in his career, he would take the bus to deliver the mail.
“Sometimes you’d get to two houses or two blocks,” Lowry said. “You had to work with the bus schedule. It was hard at times.”
Lowry has scrapbooked and stored items from his tenure with the postal service, including pictures of his route, his dog and one special guest he’d bring along.
“I’d pick up my wife, and when we got to the route, she drove, and then I handled the mail,” he said. “We’d go the whole day, stop for lunch, and nobody knew about it.
“It’s like you could get away with murder,” he laughed, jokingly. “You couldn’t do that today. But no, I’m proud to have served my community. It’s a big part of my life. It’s a big part of this town.”
Those interested in donating items to the Akron Post Office Museum can contact Luanne Daigneault at (330) 996-9942.