U.S. Post Office, Providence, RI - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

In July of 1960, the U.S. Post Office Dept. issued a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Pony Express, a system of horses and riders connecting St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA. With the Pony Express, mail could be transported from New York to San Francisco in as little as ten days - incredibly fast for that time. In October of 1960, this stamp was issued celebrating the opening of the first fully automated post office in the U.S. – capable of handling over a million pieces of mail per day. Apparently, the Post Office Dept. had come a long way in a hundred years.

In the 1950s, the U.S. Post Office Dept. found itself inundated with increasing mail volumes and a lack of modern facilities. Then Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield organized a plan for modernization beginning with a new facility in Providence, RI. Dubbed “Project Turnkey,” the new facility was described as “fully automated,” featuring the latest and greatest in mechanized mail handling equipment. Summerfield even wanted a special postage stamp issued in conjunction with the opening of the new facility. The Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) rejected the proposed issue because they didn’t like the idea of the P.O. Dept. “tooting its own horn.” But the Postmaster General overrode their decision and the stamp was issued anyway.

The new facility featured automated culling machines to separate letters of different sizes, automatic facing and cancelling machines, mechanized sorters for parcels and miles of conveyor belts. And it served as the main post office for Providence with a lobby, clerks, and stamp vending machines. The name “Turnkey” referred to the idea that the facility was supposed to startup and run flawlessly “at the turn of a key.”

But Project Turnkey didn’t quite live up to its promise of full automation as it required, at least initially, more labor to operate than the old facility. Cost overruns and the usual accusations of mismanagement caused the highly publicized project to receive some bad press after the change in administrations in 1961. Incoming Postmaster General James Edward Day claimed it should have been named Project “Turkey” rather than “Turnkey.” This entertaining suggestion was more of a political jab at his predecessor than any indication of a change in direction as the push toward automation continued with similar facilities popping up all over. These became more efficient and effective with the widespread use of phosphorescent tagging, optical character reading and bar code scanning.

In spite of the CSAC’s objections, the stamp proved popular. The design was based on an architectural drawing, not an actual photograph. Today, the USPS refers to this building as a Sectional Center Facility serving Rhode Island and south east Massachusetts.

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 20-Oct-1960 Denomination: 4c Color: dark blue & carmine Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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