August 31, 2010

Normally, when you mail a letter, you expect it to get to its destination in less than a week, not 51 years.

Edna Hiebert received two letters from her niece Florence in Norwalk, California. The problem is, the letters were mailed in 1959. They were intended for Edna’s father, Florence’s grandfather, but got lost along the way.

A post office clerk recognized the name on the letters and delivered the letter to Edna that day.

But, those weren’t the only letters. A few miles away in Goessel, three more messages arrived at Bethesda Nursing Home, where Edna’s father once lived.

In 1959, it cost just four cents for a stamp and the postal system didn’t even have zip codes.

Ultimately, the letters were delivered, just not quite as soon as everyone hoped.