stampsacrossthecommons

On June 10, 1982, a US postage stamp was issued to honor the humanitarian acts of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919), who risked her life to treat the sick and wounded during the Civil War. She was the first woman to serve as an Army surgeon.

In 1865, on the recommendation of General Sherman, Walker was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. However, 51 years later, new criteria for receiving the medal disqualified her. Walker refused to return the medal and wore it every day until her death in 1919. In 1977, an order was signed by the Secretary of the Army to reinstate her award. She is the only woman to ever be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

First Day of Issue ceremonies were held in her hometown of Oswego, New York on June 10, 1982. (Scott 2013)

                                       
                                             Dr. Mary Walker
                                              Army Surgeon
                                              Medal of Honor
 

flickr.com/photos/193005003@N06/52452398362/in/photolist-...

Juanita Elisabeth Smith Tucker (1907-2008) was Postmaster at Christmas FL from 1932 to 1974 (42 years). www.qualityapps.com/contents/communityguide/florida/Chris... She wrote a book, "Perpetual Christmas," presumably about her experiences at this unusual post office: www.amazon.com/Perpetual-Christmas-Juanita-S-Tucker/dp/B0... She was mentioned in LIFE magazine in December 1949 for her postal work: books.google.com/books?id=VkEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50&lp... And in TIME Magazine in November 1949: www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,934269,00.html In 2006, she was still alive, age 99, and mentioned in this article (along with her son, Cecil Tucker II): articles.orlandosentinel.com/2006-12-02/news/XMASTOWN_1_f... She passed away in 2008, age 101. Here's her obituary: articles.orlandosentinel.com/2008-05-21/business/bizdead2... And here's her grave: www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=41491034

pennylrichardsca (now at ipernity) Wow! Thanks for sharing the great information on Juanita Tucker!

Here's a tad more on this Postmistress: (I was away reading and typing while Penny was posting ;)

Mrs. Juanita S. Tucker was postmistress in the tiny hamlet of Christmas, Florida, for 42 years from 1932 until her retirement on December 31, 1974. She was a daughter-in-law of the former Postmasters, Drew and Lizzie Tucker. Juanita, who was an artist and a poet, created a design of a lighted Christmas tree that would be stamped on mail sent from her post office.

Each year thousands of letters came for postmarking and she lovingly stamped each with the small green Christmas tree cachet and the legend "Glory to God in the Highest." But then, in 1949 (after 15 years) the Post Office Department informed her coldly that as a postal employee, she was not allowed by regulations to place "personal or unofficial endorsements" upon mail. Mrs. Tucker was crestfallen.

The resulting brouhaha created national attention and Senator Spessard L. Holland (D-FL) interceded with US Postmaster Jesse M. Donaldson to allow Mrs. Tucker to continue the use of the rubber stamp.


"Special Cache for Juanita Tucker's last Christmas as Postmaster, 1974"
(Collection of Juanita Tucker)

In 1969, and again in 1995, the US Postal Service honored Christmas, Florida as the site of the First Day Issue of the Christmas stamp for that year. 1969 featured the 6¢ Christmas Winter Sunday (Scott 1384), and in 1995 the 32¢ Midnight Angel (Scott 3012).


"First Day Issue from Christmas, Florida, 1995"
(Collection of Joan Templeton)

When a new, modern post office was built in Christmas, the town's historic post office was preserved as a gift shop.

Juanita Tucker died in 2008 at the age of 101. There are several more photographs of her in the collection of the State Library and Archives of Florida.


— TIME Magazine, 1949; Google Books; Orlando Sentinel

Fantastic

nice shot

In 1898 the U.S. Post Office Department issued a set of nine commemorative postage stamps to mark the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha. The finely engraved stamps of the Trans-Mississippi Issue, or "Trans-Miss" or simply the "Omahas" for short, depict various scenes of the West and are today highly prized by collectors.
 
                               

                                           Western Cattle in Storm
 
                 United States 1-dollar stamp of 1898 Trans-Mississippi issue.
                 Known as the "Black Bull", this is often considered the finest
                 design ever seen on a US stamp. (Scott 292)

Pixel Wrangler Thanks, Pixel Wrangler. These are so interesting! Susannah Smithsonian Institution Archives