It was just another weekend DIY project — replacing our old, dented mailbox that had seen too many roadside hits.
As I dug around the base of the post, shovel in hand, I struck something hard.
Not rock.
Not root.
A chain.
Rusted, thick, and buried about eight inches down — like it was hiding.
At first, my mind raced: buried treasure? A hidden lockbox? Some kind of prank?
But then came the realization: this wasn’t random.
It was an anchor system — a clever, no-nonsense trick used by rural homeowners to protect their mailboxes from reckless drivers.
Let me tell you the full story — and what I learned about this ingenious bit of country engineering.
