U.S. post offices will close for a day next week in recognition of a national holiday.

Presidents Day is Monday, Feb. 17 and it’s a federal holiday, meaning government offices are closed, as is the U.S. Postal Service and post office branches. No mail will be delivered on that day though FedEX and UPS will be offering service though on a modified schedule.

Presidents Day is the third postal holiday of the year, following New Year’s Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday. The remaining schedule includes:

• May 26 – Memorial Day
• June 19 – Juneteenth National Independence Day
• July 4- Independence Day
• Sept. 1- Labor Day
• Oct. 13- Columbus Day
• Nov. 11- Veterans Day
• Nov. 27 – Thanksgiving Day
• Dec. 25- Christmas Day

History of Presidents Day

The idea of a day to honor George Washington, America’s first president, dates back to the 1870s when Sen. Steven Wallace Dorsey proposed adding Washington’s birthday – Feb. 22 – to the list of existing holidays. President Rutherford B. Hayes signed the Washington holiday bill into law in 1879.

In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill which moved the day off Washington’s birthday to the third Monday in February.

After the Civil War, many Northern states included the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, in their official celebrations. Lincoln’s birthday was Feb. 12.

On a federal level, however, the day is still officially known as Washington’s birthday. Generally, the day is referred to as Presidents Day, honoring all the elected leaders of the U.S.