USPS Historian Stephen Kochersperger may seem like the busiest man on Earth at the moment, with interviews about the organization’s 250th anniversary in more than a half-dozen media outlets, including Newsweek, Architectural Digest and the Associated Press — but he’s been busier.
He points to a time in early 2024 when the historian’s office had to move the entire USPS collection of postal artifacts out of its storage spot — which was being converted into a sorting and delivery center — to a new site with very little notice.
“It was stressful, grimy, backbreaking work,” he said. “By contrast, while the 250th has kept me very busy, I don’t think of talking about our history as work. I enjoy it.”
Kochersperger, who was a postmaster for 25 years and is a distant cousin of 35th Postmaster General John Wanamaker, said he “feels a very personal connection to the Postal Service.” He recalled graduating from high school during the organization’s bicentennial and is “thrilled that 50 years later I get to do it again.”
As someone steeped in USPS history, he was asked what he thought his colleagues should know about the big anniversary.
“Everyone needs to know that the Postal Service is nearly a year older than the nation. I think that hints at how important it has been to U.S. history,” he said. “We can all be proud that we work for this organization started by Ben Franklin. Through all kinds of adversities, we have continued to serve our fellow Americans.”
