Wanted: A compromise between a historic mailbox original to a home and the mailbox requirements of the U.S. Postal Service.....The Trust recently ran into a dilemma during our recent preparation to rent a remodeled home in the Hampton Heights Historic District. During the exterior restoration of the home, we had removed an originial, historic element in order to prep and paint. That element, the mailbox, was also in need of some TLC. We planned to strip and repaint the metal box and reattach it to the right of the front door. The problem: before doing so we asked questions...mainly to the postal worker who delivers mail to our office. His response, "no way....that thing should just be trashed". According to him, the box was useless; too small for packages, oversized cards, magazines, and catalogs (ie, junk mail you don't need).
In the end, what could we do? We bought a brand new mailbox, and now have the original in the office, trying to figure out its fate. If you have any creative ideas or uses for this gem of postal history, please let us know!