Statement Regarding the Headsville, W.Va. Country Store and Post Office

The Headsville, W.Va. country store and post office served customers in rural West Virginia from 1860 to 1914 and was brought to the National Museum of American History in 1971. The post office is scheduled to close on Friday, July 21 in preparation for the museum’s upcoming renovation. It is currently located just inside the museum’s Constitution Avenue entrance and its interior has been designed to look as it might have around 1910. The shelves were filled with objects like spice tins, shoes, patent medicines, buttons and other dry goods, some from the museum’s H.K. Seybolt General Store collection. The U.S. Postal Service supplied the Smithsonian station with its own post mark and a small staff. The Smithsonian is currently exploring the relocation of postal service to another museum on the National Mall. The Museum is looking at the possibility of a loan of the post office building to another museum or historic site. Alternative post offices near the museum (approximately .27 miles) are:

• Ben Franklin Station Full Service 12th and Pennsylvania Ave. NW Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• Pavillion Postique Philatelic Only – Special Interests 1100 Pennsylvania Ave NW Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.