Mailboxes - The Fife Collection of Western U.S. Vernacular Architecture

March 14, 2013 9:52 AM

A collection of pictures of mailboxes in the western US - part of the Fife Collection of Western U.S. Vernacular Architecture, which also includes quilts, murals, tree bark graffiti, fences, gravestones, and festivals, and other examples of folklife and material culture visually recorded by folklorists Austin and Alta Fife.

For example:
Mailbox made to resemble horse, with head and tail.
Mailbox built like log cabin. Marian Fife is in picture. Sign above box says "Abalobadiah Creek, M. G. McRay."
Mailbox built in shape of old barn and painted red and white. Names on box: Danny and Marcene Hjelm.
Mailbox ornamented with deer's antlers and steer's skull with horns. Name on box: "Jane Jones."

posted by carter (3 comments total)

I miss the old rural-style mailboxes with a flag; our neighbor across the street was a contractor and built a special post for our boxes out of a huge length of chain that he welded together. It seems like most of the old school mailboxes where I grew up have been replaced with the modern locking ones because of scumbag tweakers stealing people's mail. Of course, even back then, we had the occasional problem of bored teenagers with baseball bats in cars.
posted by entropicamericana at 10:29 AM on March 14

I'm a fan of unusual mailboxes. You see lots of interesting ones on bicycle rides; you are going so slow that you have time to look at everything.

Here are a few I've seen while riding.
posted by JeffL at 10:57 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]

Nice post. Thanks, carter.
posted by homunculus at 2:12 PM on March 15