The B Free Post Office was opened in 1775 by Benjamin Franklin and it is still a functioning post office today It is located near Franklin's burial site as well as the Benjamin Franklin Museum, which is part of the national Park service. I got my postcards hand stamped with the special Benjamin Franklin postmark. They do not sell postcards there, but there is a gift shop in the nearby museum. The employee who postmarked my postcard was very pleasant. read more

US Post Office - Post Offices Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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This was the coolest post office ever. The female post master was happy to share history of the post office with us. I learned that the Ben Franklin Market street post office is the only post office in the U.S. that hand stamps each piece of mail sent out with "B Free Franklin" cancellation. They do this because it's the home of Benjamin Franklin. It's designed in colonial era style. Located in Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia. This post office operates without a U.S. flag because the Stars and Stripes did not yet exist. We purchased a book of historical stamps not over priced. read more

US Post Office - Post Offices Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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I absolutely loved being able to mail my Littles AKA grandkids, postcards from the first U.S. post office! It was established in 1775 and was operated by Benjamin Franklin. Back in the day, the postmark was his signature. Today they roll it on with an ink stamp, which I thought was very cool. Located on Market Street, it was a quick but very enjoyable stop. Recommended! read more

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A post office without stamps, an employee on a 90 minute lunch break, refusing to scan a QR code " without the address where it's going." With this kind of employee no wonder the PO is constantly under attack. Shameful. read more

This is the first us post office opened by Benjamin Franklin. It's pretty cool it has a free mini museum in it of artifacts. Plus anything you mailed here the postal employees will hand cancel your stamp using Postmaster Benjamin Franklin's cancellation - "B. Free Franklin. Which is pretty cool if you're a history fan. The clerk wasn't exactly nice and seemed a bit annoyed I took her away from her cellphone call but I was in and out pretty quick. If you're in the area it's worth checking out read more

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This is the worst post office I have ever experienced. It is literally never open when I go. Is someone taking a 2 hour lunch break? Door always locked. Always closes early too. I don't get it. read more

They don't accept packages! Kind of stupid being the postal service and all. Perhaps you should start idk accepting packages

Come here to have a lovely lady hand-stamp your postcards with Ben Franklin's signature stamp canceller. Although I thought it was Tommy J. When I wrote the postcard. Oh well. Can't speak to its merits as a full-service post office but it's certainly nice for this. read more

US Post Office - Post Offices Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

this place is literally never open, I've walked here many times and it's always closed. the last time they were "out at lunch" at 3:30 pm, waited for over an hour and nothing. read more

This is the original post office founded by Ben Franklin himself. People come here to get the Ben Free postmark when mailing their cards and letters. By no means is it a full service post office. I liked looking at the historical items when we came in but was a bit disappointed to learn they don't sell post cards here. The counter lady directed me to the Ben Franklin museum gift shop in back a ways down to get some post cards. Off I went to pick out a few and scribble a fast note to my friends not to throw out the post cards because of the the postmark. Back I went but I had to again enter through the front of the building and not the backdoor where I had left. Oh well, I paid for the stamps and watched the lady put the postmarks on them. She then took a few pictures of me "mailing" the cards in the bin. Nope she doesn't take them. Remember this is a special post office. You can get your basics here but for full services go to a regular post office. Located in Independence hall galleries run by the national parks, you can find parking on an off street of in one of the pay parking garages. read more

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this was a super cool post office! we were told that this is a historical post office, the one where ben franklin was postmaster in the late 1700s! it actually still retains quite a bit of 18th century charm and has statues of dr. franklin and some info plaques with history. only 1 person works there in present day so the hours are little more limited and you might have to wait a bit but this is very charming...most likely i've never seen such a small post office! we were advised to come here, mail out a postcard so we could have the original cancelation stamp, something you won't see at any other post office! it was actually pretty cool, and so i decided to mail one back home to myself and get another stamp as a souvenir. located just off market street at the northern end of franklin court where you'll find many more historical artifacts dedicated to benjamin franklin. read more

US Post Office - Post Offices Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A solid post office to deliver mail, buy stamps, and more while simultaneously immersing yourself in history! The decor is styled as with the 18th century, and it's a nice place to pass by if you're a visitor looking to per se mail postcards to friends and family from your visit. If you're local, it doesn't have the complete amenities a post office might have, so for those needs, I would look elsewhere. read more

This is a small little post office, the first in the US. If you're a big mail fan like I am, it's worth checking out. I came by with some postcards for the special cancellation, and the lady at the counter was happy to help. I spent a little time looking around at the stuff on display, and was pretty much the only person here on a February afternoon. So it's not the most exciting/popular attraction in the middle of the winter, but I didn't mind having it to myself. read more

Y-I-K-E-S! This was some of the worst customer service I've ever experienced. After trying both doors and struggling to get in (surely they would've seen me?) I managed to get inside when someone opened up the door to walk out. I entered ready with my postcard to be stamped as I had read online about this post office being historical and having a special stamp. I asked the woman working -who was either having a bad day or just hates her life and job in general- about getting a stamp and she rbf stared at me and gave me an exasperated "yes." I internally was taken aback but carried on getting my stamp. As I was about to leave a chaperone and some students came in, and the chaperone said "we're just on a tour, can you tell us something about this post office?" (which is clearly a tourist attraction?!) to which she deadpan retorted "it's a post office in the US." Again, I cringed inside before exiting. I understand that this is still a functioning post office and not everyone in the industry wants to be a part of the tourism/hospitality industry as well- but please if you can't deliver half decent customer service you should not be working at this location! It was honestly one of the most horrifying customer service experiences I've witnessed. read more

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I was very very happy to stumble across this wonderful post office! It's America's first! It's actually a real post office. You can mail letters from it and buy stamps. Feel free to walk around the inside. Look around at their collection of dolls. Postal promotions. Enjoy the BEN FRANKLIN statues and the ink pots with a quill. I was really wishing I had my address book with me so I can email a bunch of postcards from this location! Really would like to to come back read more

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So this tiny post office is the 1st ever post office in the USA...beyond that, not much to see here and the woman who was working the day we visited seemed dis-interested in talking to my family and wouldn't even stamp my kids "passport books" as a memento of visiting...she said she can only stamp "US Stamps" with the postage cancellation stamp. If you're in the Philly area visiting all the historic landmarks, you can easily skip this one and save yourself the 3 minutes. read more

A US Post Office AND a lil museum? Awesome! At this location in Old City Philly, you not only can learn about postal history and Ben Franklin in Philadelphia, but you can also buy stamps, mail letters, and do most of the same things that another US Post Office offers. They hand stamp letters, which draws a ton of traffic from people mailing out special things like wedding invitations. There is a limit on how many they will hand stamp per person per day. Many people overlook this spot when they are nearby and need stamps. Instead of walking to 6th and Chestnut, just pop in this location on Market Street. For a bit more history, exit the back door onto Franklin Court. Around this court you can learn more about Ben Franklin from historical markers, archaeological finds, and the Ben Franklin Museum. The staff at this post office are super friendly. Beware, however, that the credit card machine frequently goes "out of service" and they can only accept cash. read more

US Post Office - Post Offices Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I LOVE that this post office is open until 5:00 on a Saturday! The woman B. that works here on Saturdays is AMAZING! She is so kind and efficient and helpful! We came to hand cancel our wedding invitations. Our calligraphy was slanted so B told us some of our stamps had to be placed in the middle. She qualmed my fears about it and told me she sees all kinds of things and that she has brides come in that are happy, sad, mad, crying, excited, etc. etc. She said putting the stamp in the middle wasn't a big deal and she helped us do all 106 of our envelopes. She simultaneously helped other customers that came in and no one had to wait at all. She was so precise and careful with our wedding invitations that even as anal as I am, I didn't even need to worry about her being sloppy or forgetting any of them. The stamp for the hand canceling is a Benjamin Franklin stamp! We went on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and our invitations were received by most of our tri-state guests on Tuesday which was super impressive considering they were off on Monday for the holiday. The one thing I was upset about was that they didn't have the wedding stamps for 2 oz envelopes so I got stuck with butterflies. I don't know if they were just out of them or if they don't carry them at all but it doesn't make any sense to me that they wouldn't have them when they get that many people coming in to hand cancel wedding invitations. My local post office has a bigger stamp collection. It was disappointing but we wanted to mail them out that day so we were NOT leaving to get the love stamps somewhere else and then coming back. B assured me that our guests didn't care, anyway. Lol. I let it go. The building itself is old and draws a lot of visitors taking pictures and wandering around checking things out. It's centrally located in old city and is just a quick walk if you park on Front Street. read more

US Post Office - Mailing our wedding invites! - Post Offices Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Stopped in to see the post office while walking around the historical sites. It is still a working post office and was our country's first post office. Very interesting to see it. Ben Franklin was America's first postmaster, He was appointed in 1775, that is, before the United States became independent. read more

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This post office is frequently closed outside of the hours posted that they will be open. Also cannot ship anything heavier than two bonded molecules. read more

Walked by this post office on the way to cheese steak, it looked so cute we had to go back after filling our tummies. Only one person works here, they had a handwritten paper stating they are on a bathroom break and will be back in 30 minutes. The inside is as retro as the outside appears, with cool things to look at all along the walls. The lady behind the counter was not helpful at all, she was on her phone the whole time. I looked at the mats on the counter and asked which stamps they had and she was short and rude. All they carried were flag and Christmas stamps. Left disappointed that they didn't have any stamps worth getting. read more

US Post Office - Post Offices Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Not open at 3:00pm on a Wednesday. So unprofessional. No one should go here for actual postal needs.

This post office is only open because of the novelty factor. It does not function to even minimum expectations for a working post office. No packages. No priority mail. No specialty stamps. No stamps in bulk. They wouldn't even let me use their tape to seal a package that I was planning to bring to a real post office. Just a lot of "no" delivered in a confrontational manner. It's okay if this post office works in a small scale capacity, but the attendants need to be more kind hearted and when people make the mistake of coming inside. read more

Just hand stamped my daughter's wedding invitation At the Ben Franklin Post Office in Philadelphia! it is a beautiful touch , especially since the invitation does not go through the machine. It looks absolutely beautiful, my other daughters weddings one 2004 and the next in 2012 hand stamped as well! Simply lovely! Take a tour while you are there and end your visit at the Franklin Fountain for some great ice cream!! read more

The only post office in the country without a flag in front of it. Why you ask? When Ben Franklin opened it our country didn't have a flag yet! Something else very cool is they will hand cancel letters with a historic cancellation stamp. Lots of folks show up just for that. Mail a letter or post card to yourself for an excellent souvenir. As it's a quick stop and an easy location, it should be on every tourists list. read more

This post office is a historic place. You should stop by if you're in town as a tourist. I think they should sell postcards for people to mail from there. read more

Very cool place where it all began for the Postal Service and for Ben Franklin. As Steven B. already mentioned, the two interesting things about coming here are that it's the only post office in the country where they do not fly the flag because of this location predating the founding of the U.S. and of course the B. Free Franklin stamp that is applied to letters by hand. It truly is a very unique stop that all tourists and even residents should check out especially with the precarious situation of the Postal Service, the person working yesterday told us that this location has already twice been recommended for closure but local resident and political outcry has so far kept the doors open, who knows if this place will be open in five or ten years. If you go: They are open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm. This location aside of accepting postcards and letters/items under I think thirteen ounces does not offer any of the traditional services that a regular post office offers due to not having the space/equipment needed offer those services. No passport photos, money orders, or bulk packages. They also more or less stop accepting anything after 3pm so that they can begin hand stamping the items they received that day particularly if they have a large number to cancel. Overall the two staff members we encountered were great and we'll definitely stop by to mail something the next time we're in town. read more

This was one of my favorite stops and so memorable! It's located near the Benjamin Franklin museum. You walk into a cozy little US post office where it all began. The lady was so knowledgable about this historic site pointing out the original floors and other fun facts. It is the only post office that doesn't fly the flag... When Franklin started this post office, the flag did not exist! Very interesting! Another unique quality about this location is they hand cancel every piece of mail sent out from this office. It is stamped with 'B. Free Franklin'. Luckily I had a few post cards with me. I bought a couple stamps and she stamped them for me. What a great souvenir to take home. It may seem crazy to visit a post office on vacation, but this one is definitely worth it! read more

US Post Office - Post Offices Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This is the cutest post office that I've ever visited! It's a great place to swing by with tourists during a jaunt through Old City. Be sure to take the obligatory photo out front - and recognize that it's still in business to this day! Ben Franklin - he sure was the man! read more

US Post Office - USPS v1 - Post Offices Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This is the oldest post office in America. Stop in and get a great history lesson from Cindy who also works there and can provide postal services and stamps. I mailed a few cards. Cindy is awesome! read more

Honestly I was hoping to have my experience turned around with this post office, but it's just the gift that keeps on giving. I show up and they're finally open only to find out they won't accept mail after 3pm. I got there at 3:01. Truly do yourself a favor and go to any other post office read more

If you are visiting Philadelphia and want to get a taste of just how much Ben Franklin left his mark on the city, this post office is a necessary stop. His house is also conveniently located out back, so it's a compact stop on your tour. There is a lot of history packed into this tiny post office, and it's the perfect place to send a postcard to a loved one back home. However, this post office is more of a tourist attraction than a full-service US Post Office. You can mail your letters and buy stamps; it's also really cool to have letters sent with the historic-looking hand-cancellation stamp. However, they are not fully functional post office--they cannot guarantee electronic tracking in-house and most of the space is given over to a quasi-museum of USPS history. If you need advanced services from the USPS, go to the Post Office that's on Chestnut between 6th and 7th instead. read more

This is the friendliest post office ever. After carting my wedding invitations all around the city trying to find someone to hand-cancel them, I showed up here and breathed a sigh of relief. They not only accepted my wax sealed invitations joyfully, they asked me about my wedding and acted interested in my big day. They were careful with my invitations, helped me pick out matching stamps, and put a big smile on my face for the rest of the day. Just make sure you arrive before their 3pm deadline for any hand-cancelling service. read more

Not recommended for anything other than tourism. Completely unreliable staff. Arrived at 12:10 pm today to find a note that indicated that the location was closed due to a mandatory lunch until 1:30 pm. Arrived again at 4 pm to find another note that said the location would only be open 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM. I suppose whoever works here is only working 1 1/2 hours on the day? Maybe think about changing your posted hours online to prevent unnecessary trips for customers. read more

I went to Ben Franklin Post Office today to mail my wedding invitations. This was a huge milestone in our wedding planning and I was so excited! I hoped that the staff there wouldn't be grumpy like most post office employees and kill my buzz. I was so grateful to have Tina Beckham and Maryann help me and be so excited for me and let me watch them hand stamp my invitations. Tina even told me a little bit about the history of the post office while I watched. She was such a pleasure to deal with and she made the experience that much more special. Thank you Tina and Maryann!!! FYI - if you have more than 50 pieces to hand cancel it's 5 cents a piece for everything over the first 50. You also need to bring them there by 3 pm for hand canceling. read more

Mailing invites for your special Philadelphia event? Pay attention to your details and visit this post office for the exclusive B. Free Franklin postmark on your envelopes. If you have less than 50 pieces there's no additional charge to have the stamps hand canceled here. I stepped foot in this Colonial-themed post office around 9:30am on a Saturday and was out in less than a minute. The friendly postal worker showed me the first hand canceled envelope and sent me on my merry way. I've heard from relatives and friends that my save the dates arrived in Philly, New York, and Florida - it's a safe bet this office properly handled my mail. Will definitely be back with my invitations in a month or two. My friend Stephanie S. suggested this service - particularly for invitations that may be flattened by the standard machine canceling process other post offices use. So glad I took her advice and added this special historic touch! read more

If you are a tourist who is just tourist-ing around, this place is great! It is cute with historical information, friendly employees, and overall charm. The women working here always seem in a good mood and very friendly with the tourists. That said, this place is not great as a post office. They don't ship anything over 13 ounces NOR do they accept pre-paid packages over 13 ounces. They regularly run out of postcard stamps due to the tourist crowd. Which, while understandable, is annoying. The worst thing though, is that sometimes they loose things. I have mailed out postcards & letters from here that have never reached their destination. I have shipping out packages that never receive an arrival scan and subsequently didn't get tracked. These problems are habitual at other Philadelphia post offices, only here. Whatever, go in look around and mail yourstuff somewhere else. read more

I just had my wedding invitations hand cancelled here and I rushed home to write a review because the stamp is awesome! If you are having your wedding in Philadelphia, this is the perfect final touch to your invite. The first 50 are free, not sure what the cost is afterward. Plus, the workers are absolutely lovely. I think they may be the only non-disgruntled postal workers left in America! I think I'll start going here to buy all my stamps (limited service here) because the service was a delight. read more

US Post Office - Such a cool stamp! - Post Offices Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I created a unique save the date for my upcoming wedding - it was odd shaped and uneven in thickness. I was concerned about how I would send it out and how much it would cost. When I arrived at the post office, I explained my situation to Tina, the front desk clerk. She couldn't have been more helpful and friendly. She contacted multiple people to find the right price - and she even called me to update me on the situation! She gave me advice on how to best postmark and address the envelope. It was truly a full-service experience. TIna went above and beyond to help send out something that was important to me - and I couldn't be happier. I hope Tina is around to help me when I send out my wedding invitations! read more

"This is not the post office you're looking for..." If you're looking to buy the latest stamps or mail a simple first class letter, it's fine. Other than that, they have a few capabilities that make this location frustratingly close to the function you want and need in a post office. There is no tracking available for any piece of mail (even though they offer priority envelopes). The weight limit is very prohibitive (13 ounces - same as the blue mailboxes on the street). A thick document might put you over the restrictive weight limit. They have the ability to accept cards, but maybe they shouldn't. Here's what I mean... If this post office location is "more a museum than a post office" - as staff have labeled it on a few occasions - then why don't they take out all of the modern devices (ability to accept debit and credit cards, electric scales, calculators, etc) and turn it into a more accurate museum, while still possessing the same basic level of functionality? Think of a Franklin Fountain style treatment (and remove the electronics and modern post office trappings). Make it cash only. Allow people to buy stamps and mail basic letters. That is all. Then, the message will be super clear: essentially, this is a museum that celebrates the history of the post office with the added benefit that it still handles regular mail, but not in a way that detracts from its historical importance and decor. As it looks and functions right now, they integrate the modern post office with the historical museum function in a way that's a lame compromise between the two. read more