Saratoga Springs Receives Post Office Box Commemorating 250th Anniversary

Walking down Broadway in Saratoga Springs, residents and visitors might find a post office box that stands out. 

The box may be the same size and performs the same function as others, but its looks differ drastically from its usual dark blue coat. While the iconic blue remains at the top and bottom of the box, the middle includes a white base and red striping along with a commemorative flag in the center. 

First places in June, the box in Saratoga Springs is one of 30 boxes customized by the Post Office to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. The box in Saratoga Springs commemorates Saratoga’s role in the founding of the United States — specifically the Battles of Saratoga which turned the tide of the war proved that American could gain independence. 

The box is the only such box located in Upstate New York with the three of the boxes located in New York City — which served as the US’s first capital and was a key early battle of the American Revolution — and at West Point — current home of the United States Military Academy and a strategic point which prevented British movement up the Hudson. 

While the box may celebrate the 250th of the United States, their presence underscores the Post Office’s important role in the story of the United States as a hole. According to the Postal Museum, the continental post office by was first proposed in 1774 by William Goddard due to British interception of Patriot letters sent through the Crown Post Office run by the British. 

On July 26, 1775, Goddard’s plan was adopted and Benjamin Franklin was named as the US’s first Postmaster General. Since it’s founding, the post office has become a critical part of the United States’ story, connecting Americans over vast distances and following American troops wherever they may be sent.