Every box has a story

If you were to take a scenic drive on the back roads of the Shenandoah Valley, you would find a number of personalized and highly unconventional mailboxes, just as Tyre and Jane Yancey did prior to the publication of “RFD Folk Art: A Tour of Shenandoah Valley Mailboxes.”

The Yanceys, who reside in Bridgewater, began searching for the earliest forms of silos in the Valley 12 years ago and called their discovery of more than 400 not-your-everyday mailboxes a “byproduct” of their search.

“Everyone’s looks the same in town, but in the country, people express themselves that way,” Jane said, referring to the significance of customized mailboxes.

“RFD Folk Art” spans 96 pages and features 370 photographs of rural mailboxes depicted as everything from farm animals to cars to tractors and supported by such miscellaneous items as milk cans, water pumps and auto parts.

“There’s no point in throwing away a good camshaft when you can use it for your mailbox,” Tyre joked, also pointing out how owners express their individuality through their mailboxes. “They reflect occupations, hobbies, the kinds of pets people have.”

Tyre and Jane agreed that a mailbox with metal spikes welded on top of it was one of their favorites, as its owner claimed that mischievous children were bashing his mailboxes in before the modification was made.

They traveled as far north as Winchester and as far south as Roanoke to take pictures, with several of the mailboxes in their book located in Augusta County.

Lot’s Wife Publishing of Staunton printed “RFD Folk Art” at the end of last year, and the Yanceys “announced its birth” on January 11.

“People always have a little bit of nostalgia. They remember a lot of things depicted on mailboxes – milk cans, country scenes, cows, pigs – and people always like folk art because it appeals to the rustic nostalgia in all of us,” said Nancy Sorrells, co-founder of Lot’s Wife and Augusta County Historical Society president. “They [the Yanceys] are trying to capture something that’s disappearing from our hustle-and-bustle lives.”

Sorrells also gave credit to graphic designer Jennifer Monroe for the eye-catching layout she put together for “RFD Folk Art.” Lot’s Wife has been coming out with local history books for 17 years.

The images of the mailboxes were originally printed as a series of posters in 2006, but the Yanceys had trouble selling them, so they decided to turn their collection into a book broken down by different themes of mailboxes, including animal-themed, automobile-themed and the popular milk can boxes.

Tyre added that he is working on a second book that will focus on agricultural heritage and back-road art and sculptures in the Valley.