Vernal, Utah: Bricks by Mail

Vernal's first bank was built by having its 80,000 bricks sent through the mail. The "Parcel Post Bank" has its own historical plaque honoring its unique approach to construction.

Zions Bank

Address:: 3 W. Main St., Vernal, UT
Directions:: Zions Bank. Downtown, on the southwest corner of US Hwy 40/Main St. and US Hwy 191/Vernal Ave. The plaque is on the right side of the entrance.
Admission:: Free

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Visitor Tips and News About Bricks by Mail

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Bricks by Mail

It looks like the owners of the building-sent-via-the-Postal-Service are renovating. Thankfully, it also looks like they are keeping the external bits for such a historic building. I cannot confirm if the bricks-by-mail plaque is still on the right side of the entrance.

[Rustin LaFurney, 08/22/2021]

The bank owners are well-aware of its history, so the plaque will likely remain.

Zions Bank.

Bricks by Mail

Attractive structure. Wonder if the USPS flat rate boxes would work today!

[Kathy & Ron W X N, 07/15/2016]

Bricks by Mail

Also in the Vernal area, a site of odd historical interest, and one that you may have driven past without realizing what an historical gem you were missing, is the Zions bank building in the center of town. At the time it was built, there was a dispute of some kind with the freighting companies in the area. To get around that, someone discovered that the post office would not charge nearly so much as the freighters for the same package, so all the bricks for the building were MAILED to Vernal. It was too late for the P.O. to do anything about it once it caught on, but they did make a regulation that one person cannot send over 50 pounds of mail in one day.

[Ted Steinhorst, 01/21/1998]

80,000 bricks were sent by mail from 1916-17 to build the bank. The post office afterward set a limit of 200 pounds per day per sender to stop any further buildings from being sent through the mail. In 1958 a bronze historical plaque, "Parcel Post Bank," was bolted to one of the exterior brick walls.