illegible addresses

For 30 years, USPS employees at the Remote Encoding Center have deciphered illegible addresses

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April 23, 2024 The USPS Remote Encoding Center in Salt Lake City — the first such center in use and the last one still standing — celebrated 30 years of service last week. The center receives digital images of letters and packages with illegible addresses from other postal facilities around the country. More than 730 … Read more

Where U.S. Mail Went to Die

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By Ashley Bowen-Murphy – October 28, 2015 The “dead” mail arrived constantly, black bags filled with almost 30,000 letters and parcels each day. These high casualties caused only a general sense of alarm among late 19th and early 20th century Americans. Postal clerks in Washington, D.C. sorted through all letters pronounced dead, separating the truly … Read more