Household

As early as 1880, postal customers were encouraged to place mailboxes on their houses, and standards for these boxes were issued in the 1890s. Not until 1916, did the Post Office require every house to have a letter box. Although household mailboxes were produced as early as the 1890s, it is unlikely that they would have appeared in Vermont until 1916. The household boxes in the image below are undated, but it is likely that the black cast-iron box on the right is of a later date than the silver boxes. The black box is very similar to the household boxes we see today. The very rudimentary form of the center box implies a very early design.

Household Mailboxes: Images courtesy of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum online exhibit