27 Years Organizing History
Keepers of the City. Throughout his time at the American Museum of Natural History, Williams has served both the mail and library department in organizing and sorting the museum’s important documents, books, letters, and artifacts.
| 05 Jun 2026 | 12:57
Eric Williams has spent 27 years at the American Museum of Natural History, serving over ten years in the mailroom. (Photo: Martina Dimitrova)
Eric Williams at his desk in the lower level mailroom, underneath some of the city’s most iconic exhibits. Here, he works with his colleagues to organize and sort all of the museum’s mail. (Photo: Martina Dimitrova)
A section of the museum’s mailroom, where packages and letters are shipped and received. (Photo: Martina Dimitrova)
Nestled underneath Manhattan’s most iconic artifacts, on the lower level of the American Museum of Natural History, Eric Williams has spent over quarter of a century sorting, organizing, and delivering mail.
Williams, who first visited the museum as a kid from Harlem, started working for the museum’s mailroom after seeing an ad in the New York Times in 1999.
Through his many years of dedicated service to the museum, Williams has become an integral part of the ‘underground’ museum community, ensuring the mailroom keeps up with the bustling museum above his desk.
Though Williams said he hasn’t seen any dinosaurs walking around yet, he is a knowledgeable veteran of the museum: saying ‘hi’ to every worker who passed by and pointing out which exhibits were above our heads as we navigated the underground offices.
Throughout his tenure, Williams also worked a 15-year stint for the museum’s library department before returning to the mailroom’s shipping and receiving center after COVID. Over the years, he said he’s witnessed numerous changes, including new buildings and departments being merged together, but his enjoyment of the work and his mailroom team has remained steadfast.
A day in his life centers around organizing and diverting the never-ending flow of packages to their respective departments. And for the odd package that isn’t directly labeled, Williams described how he has become accustomed to knowing which artifacts go to certain departments — recalling the times he saw dinosaur bones.
Williams, who said his favorite part of the job are interactions with his colleagues, said his best memories take place in the holiday season, saying in particular that “around Christmas time, we have different Christmas parties in different departments.”
In regards to the award, Williams said his years of service “represent a story” and he loves to work at the museum because of its history, saying “it’s a good place to tell people you work here.”
Williams plans to continue working at the museum until retirement, reflecting on his long tenure by saying “I’m happy that I was able to work the job. It’s good to just stay in one place.”
For the workers behind the scenes of the museum, Williams represents an essential part of its ecosystem, ensuring important artifacts and letters end up in the right places: “We keep things organized, you know?”
Outside of the mailroom, Williams enjoys going to the movie theater and playing music. And in the museum, his favorite exhibit is the Hall of Ocean Life, pointing out where it was specifically as we passed below it underground.
“I’m happy that I was able to work the job. It’s good to just stay in one place.” - Eric Williams