Rural Free Delivery (RFD)
Rural Free Delivery was the US Post Office service, begun on October 1, 1896, in West Virginia, that delivered mail directly to farm households for free instead of requiring them to collect it at distant post offices.
What happened and why it matters
Rural Free Delivery made the farm mailbox a delivery point, the start of the universal home delivery that last-mile networks still build around. Service began on routes from Charles Town, Halltown, and Uvilla, West Virginia, the home state of Postmaster General William L. Wilson, and within a year 44 routes were running in 29 states. Local shopkeepers opposed it because it helped mail-order competitors reach rural customers. Rural addresses are still the costliest to serve, which is why private carriers charge delivery area surcharges and why many shippers hand rural parcels to USPS for final delivery.
People
Related events
Laws and regulations
Sources
- Rural Free Delivery about.usps.com
- Rural Free Delivery (RFD) britannica.com