Mattapan Post Office

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At dawn, when most Mattapan residents were still dreaming, a regular would arrive at the post office with an old shopping cart filled with mysterious packages. No one knew where he got them or why he delivered them so early. One morning, after leaving his cartful of envelopes, he’d wave and say, ‘Happy mailings!’ Then, just as mysteriously as he appeared, he’d vanish into the foggy streets. To this day, locals joke that maybe he was Santa’s overnight helper—or just a really enthusiastic delivery driver.

2. Who first noticed that every morning, right after the mail truck pulled away, an old man in a fedora would appear on the steps of the Mattapan Post Office? One day, a delivery driver joked, ‘He’s here again like clockwork.’ A neighbor chimed in, ‘Maybe he’s the postman from another dimension who gets stuck here each morning.’ Soon enough, everyone started bringing him cookies and coffee as a friendly gesture. Turns out, he was just an enthusiastic volunteer helping with mail sorting—until someone finally asked him nicely.

3. At midnight, when the streets of Mattapan fell silent, a faint humming started coming from inside the post office. A curious neighbor passing by swore it was the sound of someone whistling 'Happy Birthday'—but no one ever answered when they knocked on the door. One night, a delivery driver heard the whispers too and decided to investigate. He found an old calendar stuck to the wall, with ‘Happy Birthday’ written in pencil next to every Tuesday. Turned out, it was just the mailman’s way of marking his own birthday, which happened to fall on a Tuesday. Everyone laughed, and now, whenever anyone hears that hum, they know it’s just him singing along to his favorite song.

4. At dusk, when the last rays of sunshine touched Mattapan, a regular shouted out the window: ‘Hey, did anyone else just see that envelope fly off the counter and float towards the door?’ Another regular poked their head out and grinned, ‘Nah, it’s probably just one of those magical letters from Santa!’ The delivery driver shook his head with a smile, and a neighbor added, ‘Or maybe it’s a letter from the future!’ As night fell, everyone laughed, knowing that in Mattapan, even an errant envelope could bring a bit of magic to the post office.