# 5761 - 2023 First-Class Forever Stamp - Historic Railroad Stations: Tamaqua Station, Pennsylvania

U.S. #5761
2023 Tamaqua Station, Pennsylvania
Historic Railroad Stations

• Honors Tamaqua railroad station in Pennsylvania
• Part of the Historic Railroad Stations set which celebrates the railroad stations that revolutionized the transportation of goods and people across America

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Historic Railroad Stations
Value:  63¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  March 9, 2023
First Day City:  Cincinnati, Ohio
Quantity Issued:  30,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset, Flexographic
Format:  Panes of 20
Self-Adhesive

Why the stamp was issued:  Issued to honor Tamaqua train station as well as the history, nostalgia, and romance of train travel.

About the stamp design:  Along with the other four in the set, this stamp pictures digital illustrations and typography by Down the Street Designs.  The Tamaqua design pictures the railroad station against a bright blue sky.  It includes the American flag flying overhead as well.

First Day City:  The Historic Railroad Stations stamps has their First Day of Issue Ceremony in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Cincinnati Union Terminal.  Its awe-inspiring art deco style, massive size, and the fact that it was pictured on one of the stamps in the set made it a perfect location for the First Day of Issue Ceremony.

About the Historic Railroad Stations set:  There are five different railroad stations depicted in the set:  Tamaqua Station in Pennsylvania; Point of Rocks Station in Maryland; Main Street Station in Virginia; Santa Fe Station in California; and Union Terminal in Ohio.  All stations (except Tamaqua) were in use for passenger service at the time the stamps were issued, and all five are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

History the stamp represents:  Tamaqua Station is a historic train station in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania.  It was retired from use in 1961 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 26, 1985, as the Reading Railroad Passenger Station.  The station was opened to the public in 2004 as a heritage center.

Philadelphia and Reading Railroad built Tamaqua Station in 1874.  It was a Victorian-style structure and replaced a previous wooden station building that had burned down.  The elegance of the new station was a way for the region to show off its growing importance as a major railroad hub.  The area had risen to such heights due to the booming anthracite coal industry in that part of Pennsylvania.

At its peak, over 40 passenger trains stopped at Tamaqua Station per day.  The station included a restaurant, beautiful gardens on the surrounding grounds, and even a fountain.  It was once the centerpiece of downtown Tamaqua.

After Tamaqua Station fell out of use, it sat all-but-forgotten until 1992 when Tamaqua S.O.S. (Save Our Station) bought it.  The non-profit group worked to restore and preserve the station over the following years.  Finally, in 2004, the $1.5 million project was complete, and the Tamaqua Station became a beloved attraction of the city once again.