POSTAL MUSEUM
The Postal Museum in Murree defines a museum as an institution that preserves and displays historical artifacts. This particular museum showcases the history of the British postal service during the 19th century (1800–1900). The British established a hill station in Murree upon their arrival and later developed it into a town.
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| GPO MALL ROAD MURREE |
MUSEUM ESTABLISHED
The Pakistan government opened a museum in 2016. Originally, this building was a post office, constructed by the British in 1867, and was used by them for postal services during the 19th century. It is now known as the General Post Office (GPO).
MURREE
Murree is a beautiful place for spending holidays in summer and experiencing snow in winter. Murree is a mountain resort city located in the Punjab province. When the British first arrived in the 1850s to establish a new hill station in the region, they decided to build a town here. Later, it became a popular destination for British citizens to experience snow and enjoy holidays.
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| Nature |
COINS IN MUSEUM
People paid money in coins for delivering letters or when opening an account at the GPO. These coins were used during the British era.
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| Coins In British 19th century |
DESIGNATION BADGE
The destination badges were used by British staff to identify junior or senior employees. The British gave these badges to help identify employee levels.
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| Designation Badges Before 1947 |
SIGNATURE BOOK
During the 19th century, the British used a signature book to open savings bank accounts for customers, which was done by hand rather than by computer, unlike digital technology in 2024. This was their method for storing customer records, similar to how computers are used today to print receipts, store data, and manage bank information.
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| British use this types of signature book |
19th CENTURY BOOKS
Many books were published during the British era in Murree. Some samples of these books are preserved in the museum.
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| Old British Books |
ORDER BOOKS
When a unit officer issues an order, it is first recorded in an Order Book and then processed. Similarly, in the 19th century, GPO Services required orders to be typed and verified by the team before being processed, much like modern transactions in 2024 require biometric or OTP verification.
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| Before 1947 vs After 1947 |
SWORDS AND SPEARS
The postal guards were kept for the protection of postal properties from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. Guns were not available for fighting ,so guards used Swords and Spears to protect themselves and post offices, which provided perfect security at the time.
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Swords and Spears
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GPO TIMELINE
There are some old photos of the GPO (General Post Office) from the 1900s to 2015.
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| GPO Timeline |
STEEL SCALE BEAM
Steel scale beam manufactured by Henry Pooley and Son, Glasgow and Liverpool (Pooley's patent, 1864). The company was a mechanical engineering company specializing in the manufacture of weighing scales. Founded in Liverpool in the late 18th century, the firm specialized in weighing scales and other instruments, later moving to Birmingham, England, before being absorbed into W. & T. Avery. This heavy-duty scale was used to determine parcel weights and calculate shipping charges. Remarkably, the scale beam remains level and accurate to this day. Visitors can admire this historic scale beam at the Murree Mall Road Postal Museum.
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| Steel Scale Beam |
PIONEERS OF FREEDOM
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| Pioneers Of Freedom |
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| Pioneers Of Freedom |
BUILDING REWARDS
This museum won the Building Prize on August 14, 1982, for its beautiful decorations. The competition took place in the 20th century, and the GPO postal museum was awarded the prize for its building decorations. The head office also received awards for this achievement. The prize was announced by Buldia Murree. You can see the photos below.
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| Trophies and Rewards |
1918 LETTER BOX
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| 1918 |
WALL LETTER BOX
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| Wall Letter Box |
1890 LETTER BOX
One
of the oldest known letter boxes dates back to 1890. This letter box was used
by the British before Pakistan gained independence. The old letter box had a
simple design: users would deposit their letters on the front side, and the
postal worker would collect the letters from the back side and deliver them to
specific customers at specific addresses. This was the duty of post-service
guards or mail carriers.
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| 1890 |
LAMP STAND
The unit officer used lamp stands where there was insufficient electricity or light because Murree was not yet fully developed at that time. Officers and workers used old lamp stands, which provided some light. By doing these things, they were able to work for customers.
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| Lamp Stand |
OIL BOTTLES AND STAMP PAD
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| Oil Bottles and Stamp Pad |
THE SAFETY STICKS
When mail carriers traveled from the post office to deliver mail to customers or were sending mail to other locations using horse or bullock carts on the way through jungles, they used these sound sticks for safety.
These sounds were also used to scare animals if they were on the path and to alert people in surrounding areas that government officers were coming, so people could take the necessary precautions.
These sounds were used only by government personnel to alert people of their arrival, and civilians recognized the sound as a sign that postal workers were coming to deliver letters.
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| The Safety Sticks |
THE OLD CLOCKS
Old clocks are the same as they look today, but some companies are very old, and today if you search in markets, they are not available. Similarly, some sample watches are only available in museums. If you want to see and really like old watches, you can visit any postal museum in your area.
In the following photos, you can see old brand watches (Data Post, LODHI CO KARACHI). These are watches from before 1947, when Pakistan was not an independent country.
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| The Old Clocks |
1955 LETTER BOX
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| 1955 |
1960 LETTER BOX
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| 1960 |
MALL ROAD POSTAL MUSUEM
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| Mall Road Museum |
19th CENTURY INDIAN POST OFFICES
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| India Post Offices In Pakistan |
THE VECHILE USE FOR PASSENGERS
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| Old Vehicle |
