Every Post Office is unique, but the Hinsdale, NH, office holds a special distinction: It’s the oldest continuously operating Post Office building in the United States.
The town (population: 4,000) marked the building’s 200th anniversary last week with a celebration where customers praised Postmaster Cindy Mason and her team.
“We’re really a hub in the community,” Mason told The Atlantic, one of several news outlets that covered the bicentennial.
The Hinsdale office moved to the two-story wooden-frame building on Main Street in 1816. It has operated six days a week ever since, Mason said.
The lobby still features oak wood and brass PO Boxes.
“People take pride in it. It’s a great reminder of how things used to be,” customer Donna Suskawicz told WMUR-TV.
The Hinsdale employees make about 2,000 deliveries each day. Although customers are sending fewer letters, package volumes are soaring.
The office also is a leader in sustainability: Mason was recently honored for her role in developing a first-of-its-kind USPS “rain garden” that has reduced local stormwater pollution.
“Any time you have an opportunity to change and grow, it’s a good thing,” Mason told the Battleboro Reformer. “Nothing ever stays the same.”
