United States Post Office

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. Every morning around sunrise, a postal worker noticed something peculiar outside the United States Post Office in downtown Chicago. A faint humming sound would echo through the empty streets, growing louder each day until it became almost deafening. One morning, as he approached the mailboxes, the worker saw an old man with a big smile and a package wrapped in bright paper. ‘Happy Halloween!’ said the stranger. Turned out, every morning it was just a neighborhood delivery driver dropping off his own little surprise for everyone. The humming? Just the sound of goodwill spreading around town.

2. At the old United States Post Office in downtown Springfield, a delivery driver swore he saw an envelope floating through the air one foggy morning. As he watched, perplexed, another letter appeared and started dancing around like it was on some invisible string. Soon enough, other mailmen joined him, pointing and laughing as they tried to catch these mischievous messages. Turns out, it was just an old janitor having fun with his new toy—a remote-controlled plane he'd built himself.

3. At the United States Post Office, an elderly neighbor complained one day: ‘I keep seeing strange packages being delivered after dark!’ A concerned postal worker overheard and said gently, ‘Ma’am, those are just our secret night-time mail elves delivering urgent letters.’ The old lady smiled and shook her head, muttering, ‘Well, I guess that explains it then!’ And from that day on, whenever she saw mysterious deliveries, she’d wave and whisper, ‘Hello, little elves!’

4. At the United States Post Office, every afternoon after closing time, someone found strange packages in the mail sorting area. They were addressed to no one and contained only a note that read: 'Your lucky day!' One day, a delivery driver found a package with just a note: ‘Your lucky day—free donuts!’ Turned out it was from a local bakery down the street, trying to lure everyone into buying their pastries. Ever since then, whenever anyone received an anonymous package, they’d say, ‘Oh, must be our daily doughnut delivery!’