Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum Introduces State Postal History Registry

The National Postal Museum announced the launch of a new feature on its Web site designed for researchers of philatelic postal history. The State Postal History Registry lists contacts, links and other postal history resources by state.

“This website will be a tremendous resource for state postal historians,” said Wilson Hulme, National Postal Museum curator of philately. “The registry is the most comprehensive compendium of state postal history that exists.”

Philatelic postal history includes the study of stamps, postal marking and covers, postage rates and postal routes, and additional information regarding the history and development of the post.

The State Postal History Registry was conceived by members of the Research Projects Committee, a standing committee of the National Postal Museum’s Council of Philatelists. Renowned philatelist Tom Alexander serves as the committee’s chairman.

“I am very pleased that the registry has been launched,” said Richard Winter, a committee member who led the effort to create the registry. “We have more states to add to the registry; it's still a work in progress, but we're off to a great start.” 

The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing the largest and most comprehensive collection of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E., in the Old City Post Office Building across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information visit the museum’s Web site at postalmuseum.si.edu.

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