Handheld door knocker for letter carriers

Object Details

Description

Some letter carriers chose to use wooden, dumb-bell shaped door knockers on their city free delivery service rounds. Convenient, light-weight, and easy to grasp, the knocker saved wear and tear on hands and sounded a load crack to announce the carrier’s arrival.

The postman really did ring twice, or knocked, or blew a whistle. Letter carriers waited for someone to answer their signal, if no one was home, they took the mail back to the post office and tried again the next day. Studies showed carriers spent an average of two hours daily waiting at the doorstep. To save work hours, the Post Office Department required residents to install mailboxes or letter slots in 1916.

After 1863

Object number

0.263796.1

Type

Employee Gear

Medium

wood

Dimensions

Diam 2 in. (5.08 cm.)

Place

Pennsylvania

See more items in

National Postal Museum Collection

On View

Currently on exhibit at the National Postal Museum

National Postal Museum

Topic

Postal Employees

Record ID

npm_0.263796.1

Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)

Not determined

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8d1ae0cc9-55f1-4e26-8c33-1b9b0ac4b787