Mail carriers are a familiar face in most towns and cities across the country. Whether in an urban, suburban or rural setting, the mail carrier brings more than just letters and packages. The mail carrier brings familiarity and friendliness to neighborhoods. What used to be the main method of communication, sending letters, has been replaced in large part by emails and texts. But mail carriers endure.
The Mailman, a sculpture by Thomas Bichko, stands prominently in front of the Haddonfield Post Office (25 S. Haddon Ave.) and honors the work of all mail carriers and postal workers. Bichko’s journey in creating The Mailman is an interesting story in how sometimes things just fall into place. Bichko, who worked throughout his career for the state of Pennsylvania, spent time drawing and painting as hobbies. He encountered other artists who worked in sculpture and decided to try it out. The problem was he couldn’t decide what to sculpt. He considered sculpting military figures and community members, but nothing felt right. One day, back in the early 2000s, he was at his mother’s home in Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania, when the local historical society happened to visit. Bichko’s mother shared with them a photo of her husband (Thomas’ father) while he was on his mail route as a mail carrier in Nanty Glo in the 1950s.
“I looked at that photo, and I knew that was it. I was committed to it,” Bichko said.
Interestingly, Bichko did not want The Mailman sculpture tied to his father; he wanted it to honor all mail carriers and the postal department. He set out to create the sculpture of his father and worked with Laran Bronze Inc., a fine art foundry and studio in Chester, Pennsylvania. Bichko worked on The Mailman at both Laran Bronze and in his basement studio in Nanty Glo. Bichko had some challenges standing on a ladder and bending and twisting in order to work on the piece. So, his team at Laran Bronze cut off the head and shoulders and hands of the sculpture, which allowed him to take them home and work with less physical stress. In early 2012, the piece went through casting and metal work. Finally, in August 2012, the patina was applied.
The Mailman, a sculpture by Thomas Bichko, stands in front of the Haddonfield Post Office.
Bichko stored the finished sculpture at Laran Bronze because the local post office in Nanty Glo did not permit artwork on their property. He even tried to get the local library and schools to display the sculpture, but to no avail. A couple of years passed with the sculpture in storage, and then it was discovered.
“When I happened to be at a Pennsylvania foundry (Laran Bronze), I saw a sculpture in the corner covered with a sheet. When I inquired, I learned that the sculptor had been unable to place the sculpture of his father in any post office. They all said, to place on post office property, you needed to wait for years of government red tape. I thought that we could display the work in front of the Haddonfield Post Office on borough property instead,” explained Stuart Harding, founder and chair of the Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust (HOST). And that’s how The Mailman found its way to Haddonfield.
At about 7 feet tall and 900 pounds, The Mailman has been part of the Haddonfield landscape since December 2015. The sculpture depicts a mail carrier holding a stack of letters in his right hand while the strap of a mail satchel filled with letters is hanging over his left shoulder. Dressed in a traditional 1950s postal carrier uniform, The Mailman is dressed in a button-down jacket with two front pockets and shirt and tie.
“The mailman has been a welcome addition, giving the Post Office and the town a positive image of the pride we all celebrate,” said Mike Breslin, Haddonfield’s postmaster.
In addition to being a popular spot for photos, The Mailman is occasionally dressed to celebrate sports teams, like the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia Phillies and local Haddonfield teams, Breslin added.
Today, Bichko continues to sculpt in his basement studio in Nanty Glo. He is working on a sculpture of Marine Sgt. Michael Strank, who is pictured in the famous photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima. This sculpture is to honor Strank, who is from western Pennsylvania, Bichko said. Bichko enjoys both the process and challenges of sculpting. The process, he said, allows the artist to take the sculpture apart and put it back together until it’s right. As for the challenge, Bichko called it “an exercise in solving a problem.”
“The sculpture serves as a tribute to everyday heroes, and honors how local civilians support our community. Haddonfield is an incredibly tight-knit community, and while the story of The Mailman is based in PA, the sculpture feels right at home,” stated George Evearts, Vice President, Preservation & Valuation, HOST, and owner of Evearts Jewelers & Appraisers.
Calling The Mailman iconic, Evearts said the sculpture is a landmark of downtown Haddonfield.
