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Century of Progress Issues

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1-cent A Century of Progress Fort Dearborn single

On May 25, 1933, two stamps—a green 1-cent and a violet 3-cent—were issued on the occasion of the Century of Progress exhibition in Chicago. The 1-cent stamp depicts the restoration of Fort Dearborn, a pioneer outpost on the site of Chicago; the 3-cent shows the new art deco Federal Building in Chicago.

The stamps were reissued on August 25 in imperforate souvenir-sheet form without gum to mark the convention of the American Philatelic Society.

Roger S. Brody

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1-cent A Century of Progress Fort Dearborn single

The 1-cent green stamp commemorating Chicago's Century of Progress International Exposition (1933-1934) depicts Fort Dearborn, the pioneer outpost that had been located at the mouth of the Chicago River. The fort was built as an army outpost in 1803 and named for Secretary of War Henry Dearborn. In 1812 Indian uprisings encouraged by the British forced evacuation of the fort and led to a massacre of many of the evacuees. Rebuilt in 1816, the fort was used off and on until the 1850s. The stamp's vignette pictures the blockhouse and stockade fence and other buildings of the fort in the background.

Gordon T. Trotter

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3-cent A Century of Progress Federal Building single

The 3-cent violet stamp commemorating Chicago's Century of Progress International Exposition (1933-1934) shows the three massive towers of the Federal Building on the exposition grounds.

Gordon T. Trotter

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