Lexington Park Post Office takes 3 letter
collection boxes off the streets as rates rise

Packages of course, could not be conveniently mailed in these old letter boxes. To accommodate parcels, the Post Office Department had begun placing “Package boxes” adjacent to its letter boxes in the late 19th century. If these package boxes look familiar, they should, because the design basically has not changed since about the turn of the century.
Courtesy of Smithsonian
National Postal Museum

ST. MARY’S TODAY

LEXINGTON PARK — At least three blue mailboxes in the Lexington Park area have been removed for what post office officials called lack of use.
Two of those mailboxes were in the Midway Drive and a third at the St. Mary’s Square in front of the now shut Ame’s store.
The former Ame’s store, recently reopened in St. Mary’s Square as Roses.
“The three boxes on Midway drive were just a block apart of one another,” said Sharon Moss, supervisor at the Lexington Park United States Postal Service office.
She said before deciding to close down the mail collection boxes, the post office did a density test to see if they were required at those sites.
“There were fewer than 20 pieces per day for two of the mail boxes for a two-week period,” Moss said. “So we decided to take them down.”
After their reductions, in the Lexington Park there are now 11 mail boxes, she said.
Cheryl French, postmaster at Leonardtown, said no number of boxes have been cut down in her jurisdiction. “We have five total for the last five years I have been here,” she said.
Eduardo Santana, postmaster at Callaway, said there is just one mail collection box in his area of operation, but said new boxes could be put up if the citizens petition for a need.
He said there was slot for depositing mail just behind the A&W in Callaway. “Contract carriers, who are not USPS employees, collect mail from such collection centers,” Santana said.
Postal rates went up on Jan. 8th by two cents on first class mail.