US #3071
1996 Tennessee Statehood Bicentennial
- Commemorates the 200th anniversary of Tennessee joining the Union
- Features the state capitol building
- First self-adhesive commemorative
- Also issued with water-activated gum
Category of Stamp: Commemora... more
US #3071
1996 Tennessee Statehood Bicentennial
- Commemorates the 200th anniversary of Tennessee joining the Union
- Features the state capitol building
- First self-adhesive commemorative
- Also issued with water-activated gum
Category of Stamp: Commemorative
Value: 32¢, First-Class mail rate
First Day of Issue: May 31, 1996
First Day City: Nashville, Tennessee
Quantity Issued: 60,120,000
Printed by: Stamp Venturers
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Panes of 20 (5 across, 4 down), from printing cylinders of 160 (8 across, 4 down)
Perforations: die-cut simulated
Reason the stamp was issued: This stamp marked the 200th anniversary of Tennessee becoming the 16th state to join the Union. It was the first commemorative stamp to be issued with the popular self-adhesive gum.
About the stamp design: The image on the stamp is from a photo of the state capitol at night. The photo was taken by Tennessee commercial photographer Robin Hood. In front of the building, the statue of Andrew Jackson is silhouetted.
First Day City: The stamp was dedicated in three locations on the same day. The primary ceremony took place in Nashville, Tennessee. Other celebrations occurred in Memphis and Knoxville. Each city represents one of the three regions that make up the state.
About the printing process: The Tennessee Statehood Bicentennial stamps were printed as a pane of 20. A narrow strip across the center could be peeled off, then the pane could be folded in half to form a booklet.
History the stamp represents: Indians were the first to settle in what is now Tennessee. In fact, the name Tennessee comes from Tanasie – a Cherokee village in the region. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Spain, France, and England all claimed the Tennessee region as a colony. These claims eventually led to the French and Indian War between British and French settlers in 1754. In 1763, in the Treaty of Paris, France surrendered all claims to land east of the Mississippi, and Tennessee became part of the British colony of North Carolina.
Following the Revolutionary War, North Carolina relinquished its claim to the land and the region became a US territory. Six years later, on June 1, 1796, Tennessee entered the Union as our 16th state.
Home to the Great Smoky Mountains, Graceland, and the Grand Ole Opry, Tennessee celebrated its 200th statehood anniversary in 1996. The stamp issued to commemorate the occasion features the state capitol building in Nashville, which was designed by noted architect William Strickland. Although he had worked on plans for the US Capitol in Washington, DC, he considered the state capitol building his crowning achievement. Called the “Athens of the South,” Nashville has been Tennessee’s capital since 1862.
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