Lynn Heidelbaugh, curator at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, specializes in the history of postal service in the U.S. Her research and collections acquisitions areas include postal operations, letters and letter writing culture, military mail, postal inspection service, and women in postal history. Ms. Heidelbaugh received her Master of Arts from The George Washington University’s Department of American Studies and her bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College in History. She has served as lead curator for temporary and long-term exhibitions, including: "Investigating Frauds in Baseball Memorabilia" (April 2022-January 2025), “In Her Words: Women’s Duty and Service in World War I” (February–August 2018), “My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I” (April 2017–November 2018), “Behind the Badge: The U.S. Postal Inspection Service” (June 2014–indefinite), “Mail Call” (November 2011–indefinite), “Victory Mail” (March 2008–November 2011), and “War Letters: Lost and Found” (November 2005–November 2006). In coordination with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services, she developed a version of the “Mail Call” exhibition that traveled to more than 20 venues in the U.S. between November 2012 and autumn 2018. She received a 2023 Secretary's Research Award for the Scholarly Book Between Home and the Front (co-edited), a 2018 Secretary's Research Award for Exhibition My Fellow Soldiers, and a 2013 Secretary’s Award for Excellence for Collaborative Spirit as team member for the pan-institutional initiative and essay contribution to the book, Smithsonian Civil War: Inside the National Collection.

Article

• Heidelbaugh, Lynn and Paone, Thomas. 2024. "Very Truly Yours, Clara Barton: The Missing Soldiers Office and the Walters Family." Surgeon's Call: Journal of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, 29, (1) 8–13. 2024
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Blog Posting

• Heidelbaugh, Lynn. 2024. "What is Election Mail and its History in the US?" Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Aug 26, 2024. https://postalmuseum.si.edu/what-is-election-mail-and-its-history-in-the-us. 2024
• Heidelbaugh, Lynn. 2018. "Join the Navy: Yeoman (F) Ruth (Woodworth) Creveling." Pushing the Envelope https://postalmuseumblog.si.edu/2018/07/join-the-navy-yeoman-f-ruth-woodworth-creveling.html. 2018

Book

• Heidelbaugh, Lynn and Paone, Thomas. 2022. Between Home and the Front Civil War Letters of the Walters Family. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2kt2g41. 2022

Chapter

• Bazylinski, Alison, Heidelbaugh, Lynn, and Lifter, Rachel. 2024. "Extra-Ordinary: Oral History, Workwear, and the US Postal Service." In Fashion in American Life. Peters, Lauren Downing and Clark, Hazel, editors. 185–202. London, England: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. 2024
• Heidelbaugh, Lynn. 2014. "Military Mail." In Every Stamp Tells a Story: The National Philatelic Collection. Ganz, Cheryl R. and Sheahan, M. T., editors. 81–87. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press. 2014
• Heidelbaugh, Lynn. 2013. "Letters Home." In Smithsonian Civil War: Inside the National Collection. Kagan, Neil and Hyslop, Stephen G., editors. 174–177. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books. 2013