Delivering America: The History and Impact of Rural Free Delivery
An Evening of History and Conversation Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the United States Postal Service
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Postal Service, join us for a historical evening examining how the establishment of Rural Free Delivery reshaped life in rural America. This panel discussion will highlight the cultural, political, and economic legacy of mail delivery to rural areas—delivered by the voices of historians, folklorists, and union leaders. Shepherdstown Opera House
Location:
Shepherdstown Opera House
131 W German St, Shepherdstown, WV 25443
Date & Time:
Thursday, July 24, 2025
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
(Presentation from 7 to 8:30)
Co-Hosts:
National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA)
Jefferson County Museum
Shepherd University’s Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities
Featured Panelists:
Emily Hilliard – Folklorist, Berea College
Emily is the Berea College Folklorist and the former West Virginia State Folklorist and Founding Director of the West Virginia Folklife Program. Her book, Making Our Future: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia (UNC Press, 2022) was named a finalist for the 2022 Weatherford Award in nonfiction for books “best illuminating the challenges, personalities, and unique qualities of the Appalachian South.” From 2020-2021 she conducted the oral history project "Rural Free Delivery: Mail Carriers in Central Appalachia" for the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, documenting the occupational folklife of rural letter carriers. A folklorist with expertise in cultural history and collaboration with rural communities, Emily brings a humanistic lens to understanding the deep cultural ties between postal work and rural life.
Dr. Alison Bazylinski – Curator and Historian, Smithsonian National Postal Museum
Alison R. Bazylinski is a curator and historian at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum. She earned her doctorate in American Studies from William & Mary, where her research focused on cultural histories of fabric and clothing in early twentieth century America. Alison’s areas of interest include postal uniforms and workwear, commerce and consumption, and the history of mail-order. Alison will explore the birth of Rural Free Delivery in 1896 and how it transformed life in rural America, using artifacts from the Smithsonian's collection.
Dr. Sarah Johnson – Public History Consultant
Sarah Johnson is a Public History Consultant who conducts historical research, writes, and lectures about 19th-21st century American history. Her knowledge of American material culture was honed through twenty years of teaching undergraduate and graduate design students to critically analyze objects in museum collections within broader frameworks of culture, communications, and technology so they could become more informed designers and makers of objects. Current projects include a research grant with the State Historical Society of Iowa about Rural Free Delivery and Parcel Post’s implementation in Iowa and responses from local businesses to the nationalization of retail commerce.
Special thanks to Don Maston, NRLCA President; Lori Wysong, Director, Jefferson County Museum; and Dr. Ben Bankhurst director of Shepherd University's Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities for their leadership in sponsoring this event.
Registration Required – Limited to 100 attendees in-person, the event will be live-streamed as well.