Mail transfer post office

A blast from the past!

Mail Transfer Post Office (MTP) was a system used by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to transfer mail between post offices. It was introduced in the late 19th century and remained in use until the mid-20th century.

Here's how it worked:

1. Mail was sorted and bundled at the local post office.
2. The bundles were then taken to a Mail Transfer Post Office, which was a specialized facility that handled mail transfer between post offices.
3. At the MTP, the mail was sorted and re-bundled according to its destination.
4. The re-bundled mail was then transported to the next post office on its journey.
5. This process was repeated until the mail reached its final destination.

The Mail Transfer Post Office system was designed to streamline the mail transfer process, reducing the need for manual sorting and increasing efficiency. It was particularly useful for handling large volumes of mail, such as those generated by the growth of urban areas and the expansion of the US postal system.

However, with the advent of automation and mechanized sorting systems, the need for MTPs decreased, and the system was eventually phased out. Today, mail is typically sorted and transferred using automated machinery and computerized systems.