Al Murdock hands his mail to a postal driver while waiting at a red light. Photo published March 10, 1969. (Pittsburgh Press) Alfred A Michenzi organizes insurance refunds for veterans who live on his route. Photo published Jan. 16, 1950. (Pittsburgh Press) Parceling packages into mail sacks keeps Harold McGruder busy. Photo published Dec. 10, 1967. (Pittsburgh Press) A commemorative stamp of Andrew Carnegie was issued in Nov. 1960. (Pittsburgh Press) Walter C. Carter, left, shakes hands with Gus Kalback, how was retiring after 40 years. He began as a mail carrier in 1893. Photo published Jan. 6, 1932. (Pittsburgh Press) Mailman Joe Pysola shows off the baby stroller residents on his route purchased for him. Pysola had recently become the father of twins. Picture published July 31, 1954. (Pittsburgh Press) Mary Ellen McBride pets her cat, Ephraim, as she removes mail from her Upper St. Clair box. Photo published Oct. 20, 1968. (Pittsburgh Press)

Print a recipient’s name and address in the center, then place a return address in the top-left corner and stick your stamp on the top-right corner. Drop your envelope in a mailbox. Wait.

For anyone too young or forgetful, that’s how you mail a letter using the Unites States postal system. It’s not a glamourous process, one far flung from the instant, emoji-filled communication most people rely on today. But it wasn’t too long ago that the mail delivery person was a familiar fixture of communities across the country, and Pittsburgh was no exception.

July 1 marks 170 years since the U.S. government issued its first postage stamp, a portrait of Ben Franklin costing 5 cents and a George Washington portrait costing 10 cents. The anniversary seemed like the perfect opportunity for The Digs to spotlight the people who’ve brought Pittsburghers their mail regardless of snow, rain, heat or the strain of large hills.

Mailman’s Best Friend

Mailman Charles Busha is investigated by Spotty. Photo published Aug. 9, 1959. (Pittsburgh Press) A dog named Apache crosses the street with mailman Harry Hawrylak. Photo published July 18, 1967. (Pittsburgh Press) Donna Brahm follows Penny, a friendly guard dog, to a family’s mailbox. Photo published July 28, 1970. (Pittsburgh Press) Mailman Harry Bouger of Bloomfield is greeted almost daily by this inquisitive doge along Schenley Ave. Bouger said he simply calls the dog “Friend.” Photo published Sept. 25, 1967. (Pittsburgh Press) James Shull of McKeesport and Rusty stop at a drop box where mailmen cached milk and dog biscuits. Photo published Feb. 2, 1966. (Pittsburgh Press) Mail carrier Dennis Dugan of West View is greeted in the rain by Muffin, a neighborhood dog. Photo published Nov. 10, 1982. (Pittsburgh Press) A mailman pets his route companion. Photo published June 18, 1976. (Pittsburgh Press)

One stereotype of life as a mail carrier is the constant danger presented by neighborhood pets. An adorable beagle turns rabid the moment a man with a satchel approaches. Say goodbye to Fido and hello to a fanged monster more interested in shins than peanut butter.

At least, that’s what us civilians always heard.

We did find one archived picture of a mailman having a dog bite stitched, but there are many more images of mail carriers enjoying the company of some furry home security systems. Some of these postal workers even seemed to bring dogs of their own along as company on their routes.

Rural Roots

In this 1910 picture, mail carrier Snowden A. White makes his 23-mile route in a horse and buggy. Picture published Dec. 4, 1955. (Pittsburgh Press) Pennell passes the lower part of McFarland Road in Mr. Lebanon while covering his route. Photo published March 31, 1968. (Pittsburgh Press) Lorenzo H. Pennell of Carnegie served as a rural mail carrier from 1910 to 1914. This is him covering his route circa 1912. Photo published March 31, 1968. (Pittsburgh Press) Clyde Stewart, 75, zips open a window on this 1921 mail wagon parked at Pittsburgh’s Hilton Hotel. Both he and John A. Van Buskirk had over 50 years experience as rural mailmen when this was taken. Photo published Aug. 12, 1963. (Pittsburgh Press) Levi Fisher, at the time considered the only Amish mailman in the country, delivers mail to an Amish community East of Pittsburgh. Picture published May 21, 1974. (Post-Gazette)

There have always been some communities underserved by public services, and Western Pennsylvania’s rural families were the ones most in need of attention during the early 20th century.

“WANTED — Mail carrier for rural route. Salary $135 per month; must furnish own vehicle; man with horse and buggy preferred,” a 1920 classifieds ad placed in The Pittsburgh Press read.

The carriers filling these slots often struggled to overcome the era’s limited transportation options. Even after automobiles became a standard sight, horses and buggies remained the primary delivery system for most rural postal workers.

A notable character from the archives was Levi Fisher, a man the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described in 1974 as “the only Amish mailman in the country.” Fisher belonged to a more liberal branch of his faith and was allowed to make deliveries with a car instead of a buggy. His route was 51 miles long and served 2,206 customers, but Fisher was unfazed by the job’s burdens when he spoke with the Post-Gazette.

“I just enjoy my job,” Fisher said. “I get to see lots of people around here and to keep in touch with who’s who and what’s what.”

Season’s Greetings

These children mail letters for Santa Clause at a special mailbox decorated for Christmas. About 20 of these mail boxes decorated Downtown and shopping centers. Photo published Dec. 14, 1972. (Pittsburgh Press) The New Kensington Post Office mailed children these cards in response to their letters for Santa Clause. Photo published Dec. 19, 1972. (Pittsburgh Press) Mr. Zip and the three Miss Zips visited Pittsburgh post offices during the holiday season to give children information about sending letters for Santa. Photo published Dec. 1, 1970. (Pittsburgh Press) Miss Zip, Theresea Arrigo, shows off a “dead letter” area at Pittsburgh’s Main Post Office once day before the end of a national railroad strike. Photo published Dec. 11, 1970. (Pittsburgh Press) Clarks Donna Madeja, left, and Fredericka Lewis sort through a mountain of Christmas mail at the Post Office Bldg., Downtown. Photo published Dec. 11, 1969. (Pittsburgh Press) Frank Rizzo pushes a massive cart of mail bags. Photo published March 23, 1970. (Pittsburgh Press)

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that December is typically the busiest month of the year for many post offices, and that comes through clearly in the pictures we found of the holiday boom.

According to The Pittsburgh Press, a 1963 post office in the city could expect to handle over 53 million holiday cards during December alone. That’s on top of 107 million pieces of routine mail sent monthly, and most of the influx wouldn’t even be close to organized until the week before Christmas.

The pressure didn’t prevent postal workers from joining the seasonal fun, though. Pittsburgh post offices hired a troupe of performers during the 1960s to help children write letters for Santa and show them how to properly send mail. Named Mr. Zip and the three Miss Zips, this group traveled traveling between post offices promoting Downtown’s decorated drop boxes and encouraging kids to write letters for Santa.

Some post offices responded to letters addressed to Santa with postcards encouraging children to spend the next year being just as good, or better, as they were the previous one. The New Kensington location was one such office, and their cards included an extra reminder to keep an eye out for Mr. Zip.

“Mr. Zip will help me find you,” Santa’s mailman impersonators wrote. “You are my helper too, when you use Zip codes.”

Lawn Decor

Cast aluminum horses stand atop a hand-painted mailbox at a Thorn Run Road home. Photo published Nov. 21, 1971. (Pittsburgh Press) Mike Kavalukas used the crankshaft of a wrecked car to build his family’s mailbox. Photo published Nov. 21, 1971. (Pittsburgh Press) A covered wagon holds the mail for bob Lewis and his family in Bethel Park. Photo published Nov. 21, 1971. (Pittsburgh Press) Mildred Johnston, a former medical artist, created this mailbox for her home on Taylor Drive, North Stabane Twp. Photo published Nov. 21, 1971. (Pittsburgh Press) Robbie and Paul Shovel of 141 Thornberry Drive, Churchill, show off their family’s easily identifiable mailbox. Photo published Sept. 27, 1973. (Pittsburgh Press) Amy Knoell takes a letter from the mailbox her mother, Anna Knoell, decorated with Pennsylvania Dutch figures. Photo published Oct. 20, 1968. (Pittsburgh Press)

Just like every letter has its own path and story, so do the mailboxes they land in. At least, that seems to be the case for 1970s Pittsburgh. From molded metal to elaborate paint designs, mailboxes across the city told passersby a little about the people living just a few yards away.

One family with the last name “Shovel” took a literal approach: They built a large shovel out of wood and carved a hole for postage. Another man was searching through auto scrap yards when he realized that a crankshaft would be the ideal replacement for his box’s boring, wooden post.

In a more subtle act of expression, some families posted mailboxes with paintings or Pennsylvania Dutch stencils on the side. According to captions on the pictures of boxes we found, most of these designs were from books passed down for generations. Putting out the artwork for everyone to see was just one more way for these families to connect with their ancestral roots.

Ambridge Tim Caul takes a break and chats while sitting in the mailbox at Glenwood and Sixth streets. Photo published May 2, 1987. (Pittsburgh Press) Postmen head out to being their routes. Picture published Oct. 22, 1954. (Pittsburgh Press) Tina Mueller, left, meets her first female mail carrier. Mary Jane Allen of Penn Hills covered a route in oakland, and the Cathedral of Learning can be seen on the picture’s left edge. Photo published Aug. 20, 1967. (Pittsburgh Press) Ed Klinger of Bellevue gets out of the rain while waiting for a mail truck to arrive. Photo published June 27, 1977. (Pittsburgh Press)

There’s nothing particularly prestigious about working as a mail carrier. The hours are long and the shorts are often unflattering. But there aren’t many people willing to brave blizzards, heat and the gloom of night just to bring you some coupons.

That’s the postman’s unofficial creed, and for nearly 250 years, the mail carriers of Pittsburgh have stood by their word.

— Matt Moret