Screen Mail

Screen wagons were introduced in Texas in 1886 as a secure vehicle for transporting mail. By 1895, screen wagons were used in nearly 100 urban centers. Within a year, the screen wagons began to replace the earlier, fancier wagons as the regulation vehicle of the Post Office Department. This type of wagon was likely prevalent up until the widespread use of the automobile in the 1910s. Note that the entire interior is screened, safeguarding the mail bags.

Screen Mail Wagon: Image courtesy of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum online exhibit