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As one of the Founding Fathers and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin wore many hats. One of these was his role as America’s first postmaster.
Franklin’s local postal career began long before his national role. He started as the postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737. In this capacity, he decided which newspapers to distribute and helped individual post offices manage their finances.
Franklin also surveyed post roads – roads specifically designated for mail routes – and post offices to help coordinate mail delivery.
He also served as joint Postmasters General for the Crown (a reference to Great Britain, which still oversaw the American colonies at the time) along with William Hunter of Virginia in 1753.
In these roles, Franklin had a lot of responsibilities – which artist Caresh Walker sought to capture in his ‘Firstival’ statue as part of the Philadelphia Historic District’s “52 Weeks of Firsts.”
Each “first” celebration is commemorated with a sculpture in the shape of a numeral 1, uniquely painted by one of 25 local artists selected by Mural Arts Philadelphia.
“I have the letters falling from the sky into his hand, because a lot of the mail had to go through him to do the sorting for him to then help distribute it out to the different couriers to take it to the different cities and towns,” Walker said.
Franklin became the first national Postmaster General in 1775, as it became clear a war might break out.
What would soon become the new United States of America needed a communication system independent from Britain’s, said Nick Guarino, a park ranger at the Independence National Historical Park.
“The colonies needed a way to communicate, and they can’t rely on the British mail system,” he said. “They needed a new mail system. So, the Second Continental Congress turned to Ben Franklin, and they asked him to be the Postmaster General for what is emerging as a new nation. And he does this job, and it helps keep the colonies in communication with each other.”
Guarino explained Franklin helped to lay the groundwork for the modern-day postal system.
“The reason that this first is so interesting is that it’s so relatable. We really can’t imagine our national community today without mail. We rely on the mail.”
Impacting the present-day postal system
While Franklin’s tenure nationally was short – lasting only a year, ending in 1776 – he continued to be a prolific Philadelphian. He helped establish a library, fire company, college, philosophical society, militia, and hospital in the city – and helped invent many scientific innovations (like bifocals and the lightning rod).
Walker, the statue creator, said he feels the modern-day postal service is iconic, and deserves recognition.
“Growing up, the mailman was somebody in the neighborhood who everybody respected,” he said. “They were part of the community. They knew all your business. And they were just somebody that I wanted to be.”
Today, postmasters serve as senior managers within post office branches in the United States. In these roles, they have varying responsibilities such as managing daily tasks, coordinating mail delivery, resolving complaints and handling employees.
The U.S. Postal Service itself has evolved, too. Since its establishment, it has evolved to travel needs – adding in railroad, air travel and digital options with evolving infrastructure. As America grew, the service expanded its reach to different cities and rural areas and began to offer more options, like packages.
You can celebrate this Philly firstival on Saturday, April 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Franklin Court, on 322 Market Street – just a few doors down from the local post office where visitors can still hear the sound of hand-cancelled mail being stamped.
First American-made piano and sousaphone, Mother’s Day and hospital in America coming up
Here is your full guide to all of this year’s firstivals – including where you can find this upcoming Saturday’s Firstival dates and location.
Completed
Week 1: Successful balloon flight in America (1793)
Week 2: The Mummers parade, the nation’s first folk parade (1901)
Week 3: Volunteer fire company (1736)
Week 4: Professional basketball league (1898)
Week 5: Public Girl Scout cookie sale (1932)
Week 6: African Methodist Episcopal congregation (1794)
Week 7: Abolitionist society in America (1775)
Week 8: Authentic Chinese gate built in America (1984)
Week 9: Public protest against slavery in America (1688)
Week 10: Flower Show (1829)
Week 11: Women’s medical college (1850)
Week 12: Matchbook (1892)
Week 13: Medical school (1765)
Week 14: Stadium (1895)
Week 15: Circus performance (1793)
Week 16: Botanical garden (1728)
Upcoming
• Postmaster (1737)
April 25, Franklin Court, 322 Market St.
• American-made piano and sousaphone (1775 and 1893)
May 2, Ensemble Arts Philly, 300 S. Broad St.
• Mother’s Day (1908)
May 9, Historic St. George’s Museum & Archives, 326 New St.
• Hospital in America (1751)
May 16, Pennsylvania Hospital, 800 Spruce St.
• World’s Fair on American soil (1876)
May 23, Please Touch Museum, 4231 Avenue of the Republic
• Steamboat for passengers and freight (1787)
May 30, Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd.
• American flag (1777)
June 6, Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch St.
• U.S. Army (1775)
June 13, Museum of the American Revolution, 101 S. 3rd St.
• Annual Reminder demonstration (1965)
June 20, Philly Pride Visitor Center, Lombard St. and S. 12th St.
• Paper maker in America (1690)
June 27, Rittenhouse Town, 6034 Wissahickon Ave.
• Bank of the United States (1791)
July 4, First Bank of the United States, 120 S. 3rd St.
• Organized baseball team (1831)
July 11 (location TBD)
• Ice cream soda (Oct. 1874)
July 18, Franklin Fountain, 116 Market St.
• American art school (1805)
July 25, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118-128 N. Broad St.
• Scientific Society of Natural History (1812)
Aug. 1, at Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• Zoo in America (1874)
Aug. 8, Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Ave.
• U.S. Mint (1793)
Aug. 15 (location TBD)
• Selfie (1839)
Aug. 22, Love Park, 1501 John F Kennedy Blvd.
• Slinky (1943)
Aug. 29, Philadelphia Art Museum, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• Signing of the Constitution (1787)
Sept. 5, National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St.
• Continental Congress (1774)
Sept. 12 at Carpenters’ Hall, 320 Chestnut St.
• Naming of the United States (1776)
Sept. 19, Independence Hall
• Ronald McDonald House (1974)
Sept. 26, Ronald McDonald House, 3925 Chestnut St.
• Penitentiary in America (1829)
Oct. 3, Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Ave.
• The First Peoples
Oct. 10, Penn Museum, 3260 South St.
• U.S. Navy and Marine Corps (1775)
Oct. 17, Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St.
• Public showing of a motion picture (1870)
Oct. 24, Philadelphia Film Society, 1412 Chestnut St.
• Modern detective story written (1841)
Oct. 31, Edgar Allan Poe House, 532 N. 7th St.
• Thanksgiving Day parade in America (1920)
Nov. 7, Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• University in America (1740)
Nov. 14, Houston Hall, The University of Pennsylvania, 3417 Spruce St.
• Children’s hospital in America (1855)
Nov. 21, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Main Building, 3401 Civic Center Blvd.
• Pencil with an attached eraser (1858)
Nov. 28, National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut St.
• Weather bureau (1870)
Dec. 5, The Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St.
• Electronic computer (1945)
Dec. 12, The University of Pennsylvania, 3451 Walnut St.
• Public lending library in America (1731)
Dec. 19, The Library Company of Philadelphia, 1314 Locust St.
• Philly food firsts: Cheesesteaks (1930s), water ice (1932) and bubble gum (1928)
Dec. 26, Reading Terminal Market, 1136 Arch St.
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