Name/Title
Introduction of postage stampsEntry/Object ID
ARC926 veScope and Content
On April 1, 1855, prepayment of postage became mandatory; as of January 1, 1856, payment via postage stamps was required. Originally there was no dated postmark as appears today. Each postmaster had their own stamp which they carved from a small piece of wood or cork and they imprinted their mark on the letter or they just initialed the letter indicating that it had gone through postal channels. As manufactured postmark stamps were introduced, each postmark was often uniquely distinctive with its own name of state and town, in addition to its distinctive date.
In these images you will see examples of post marks from Jefferson County post offices.
Upper: Letter sent to Miss Mary Lewis in Rippon and postmarked in Charles Town in 1885. (ARC150-MAL-C-7)
Middle left: Letter mailed from Shenandoah Junction to Washington, D.C. in 1882. (ARC661)
Middle right: Verso of the envelope with dated postmark. (ARC661)
Lower left: Postcard addressed to Mr. Norris in Myerstown in the late 1880s or 1890s. (ARC928)
Lower right: Verso of the envelope postmarked in Kabletown and Myerstown. (ARC928)