AUGUST 2012


14 West Virginia’s Wild and Wonderful Postal Heritage


And How It Might Be Lost In Your Attic! by Ian Gibson-Smith and Collin Lam


West Virginia is a state renowned for its rich histori- cal background. From pre- secession times to its para- mount role in the civil war, West Virginia holds deep value for people interested in American history. The histo- ries of Shepherdstown, Mar- tinsburg, Harpers Ferry, and Berkeley Springs have been heavily researched by resi- dents and schol- ars. History is part of the rea- son tourists and other visitors are attracted to our region. With that said, it


came as a shock to many of us in the field to discover that a large portion of West Vir- ginia’s history has been somewhat neglected: that of West Virginian Philat- ely.


For those unfamiliar with


the term, philately is the study of stamps, postal his- tory, and other related sub- jects. However, this is not to be confused with just stamp collecting. While stamp col- lecting remains the most popular hobby in the world, with over 2 million active col- lectors in the United States alone, it is by no means all of philately. Some philatelists don’t own a single stamp. There are many types of philately. Traditional philat- ely involves scrutinizing the technical aspects of postage, like the production of stamps and envelopes, the kinds of paper used, how it was printed, and occasionally the


t h a t


has been d eliv - e r e d by air- pl ane s , z ep p e - lins, bal- l o o n s , r o c k e t s and even mail carried by the Apollo missions to the moon. There’s the fancifully


named Cinderella philat- ely, which focuses on objects that appear to be stamps but aren’t real postage: Wonder- land stamps from the won- derful book “Alice in Won- derland” were created over 100 years ago, and there are many others. All philatelic


o n e book exists that lists the post offices that existed in West Vir- ginia. Clear- ly there is a


need for some-


how the mail was moved, the rates charged, the routes tak- en, and the different mark- ings used. Recently, I picked


one to start preserving and researching our fascinating heritage. And there are collectors of


spotting of forgeries or fakes. Other areas of philately in- clude topical philately, or the study of themes or topics. For any subject you can imagine there is probably a group studying its appearance on stamps! There is aero philat- ely, which is the study of air- mail (including m a i l


pursuits can be fun, exciting, and certainly diverse, but what unites them is a shared appreciation of history, post- al or otherwise. My (Ian’s) particular inter-


est, postal history, concerns t h e


study of


up a lovely envelope (or “cover”) dated in 1834 from Martinsburg. Once I started researching this I found, to my dismay, that very little in- formation appears to exist on the subject of West Virginia. This isn’t to say it hasn’t been studied in the past, but, un- fortunately, much of the research has been lost. Only


West Virginia postal history still out there–-one gentle- man recently won a major award at a large national stamp exhibition for his mag- nificent display of cancella- tions from all the different post offices in West Virginia in the late 1800s. The U.S. Postal Service was


founded in 1775 during the Second Continental Congress when Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Post- master General. P r i o r to the inven- t i o n of the


s t a m p


in 1840 in England, and


subsequent adoption by the U.S. in 1847, mail was either prepaid or paid


by the receiver. But after about 1851


stamps began to be more commonly used to prepay the cost of postage. However, by examining the folded letters or envelopes, we can usually see how much a letter cost to send, where the letters origi- nated, and, often, how they travelled. Unfortunately, as this material is generally not highly valuable, not an awful


PHOTO CENTER “Covers” that reveal a slice of West Virginia’s postal history. Left, an envelope addressed to Elie Beatty, Esq., part of the Hagerstown Bank Find. Right, a cover addressed to John T. Siler, dated May 5, 1858, part of The McMillan Find. Bottom, an envelope that carried a letter from Harpers Ferry to Berkeley Springs dated July 29, 1875, sent after stamps came into common usage, after the founding of West Virginia.


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