# 3090 - 1996 32c Rural Free Delivery
US #3090
1996 Rural Free Delivery Centennial
- Issued to honor mail delivery to rural areas
- Rural Free Delivery brought mail service to millions of rural Americans
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Value: 32¢, First-Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: August 7, 1996
First Day City: Charleston, West Virginia
Quantity Issued: 134,000,000
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Lithographed and Engraved
Format: Panes of 20 from plates of 120
Perforations: 11.2 x 11
Why the stamp was issued: This Rural Free Delivery stamp was issued in honor of the 100th anniversary of this mail service.
About the stamp design: The stamp design is based on two photos. The foreground shows a black and white image of a Rural Free Delivery carrier and his horse and wagon. The background shows a color country landscape.
About the printing process: While most of the stamp was printed using offset lithography, the words “RURAL FREE DELIVERY” and “USA 32” were engraved.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony for the stamp took place during the 92nd national convention of the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association. The Postmaster General dedicated the stamp.
Residents of nearby Charles Town, West Virginia, were upset that the ceremony didn’t take place in their town. This was the hometown of William Wilson, the postmaster general when Rural Free Delivery began. He used his town as a test site for the new service. Being the first town to have RFD, Charles Town thought it should have been the First Day City.
History the stamp represents: The National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association pushed for a stamp honoring the centennial of RFD. They lobbied the postmaster general for almost a decade. The stamp design was first revealed at the association’s 91st national convention, held in 1995.
Though rapidly industrializing, America was still an agrarian society before the turn of the 20th century, with half its population living in rural areas. Before Rural Free Delivery, country people had to travel to a post office to send or receive mail. For the millions of families living on farms, miles from the nearest town and post office, mail was a sometime thing, a special event.
A group of influential Georgians, used to modern communications, hired their own private carrier who worked a scheduled route for more than 40 years. This Norwood, Georgia carrier became the model and inspiration for the RFD plan introduced to Congress in 1893. While rural mail services were being tested in communities in 28 states in 1895, groups of 100 families were allowed to petition for future service. By 1901, rural routes served 1.8 million people; by 1920, most rural communities received postal service. Today, an astounding 18 million rural families are served by 35,000 full-time carriers who cover about 730 million miles.
The mobile post offices of the early rural carriers opened the world to millions of Americans. RFD, now known as Rural Delivery, still plays a vital role in keeping rural people informed and connected through the delivery of letters, magazines, and newspapers.
US #3090
1996 Rural Free Delivery Centennial
- Issued to honor mail delivery to rural areas
- Rural Free Delivery brought mail service to millions of rural Americans
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Value: 32¢, First-Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: August 7, 1996
First Day City: Charleston, West Virginia
Quantity Issued: 134,000,000
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Lithographed and Engraved
Format: Panes of 20 from plates of 120
Perforations: 11.2 x 11
Why the stamp was issued: This Rural Free Delivery stamp was issued in honor of the 100th anniversary of this mail service.
About the stamp design: The stamp design is based on two photos. The foreground shows a black and white image of a Rural Free Delivery carrier and his horse and wagon. The background shows a color country landscape.
About the printing process: While most of the stamp was printed using offset lithography, the words “RURAL FREE DELIVERY” and “USA 32” were engraved.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony for the stamp took place during the 92nd national convention of the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association. The Postmaster General dedicated the stamp.
Residents of nearby Charles Town, West Virginia, were upset that the ceremony didn’t take place in their town. This was the hometown of William Wilson, the postmaster general when Rural Free Delivery began. He used his town as a test site for the new service. Being the first town to have RFD, Charles Town thought it should have been the First Day City.
History the stamp represents: The National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association pushed for a stamp honoring the centennial of RFD. They lobbied the postmaster general for almost a decade. The stamp design was first revealed at the association’s 91st national convention, held in 1995.
Though rapidly industrializing, America was still an agrarian society before the turn of the 20th century, with half its population living in rural areas. Before Rural Free Delivery, country people had to travel to a post office to send or receive mail. For the millions of families living on farms, miles from the nearest town and post office, mail was a sometime thing, a special event.
A group of influential Georgians, used to modern communications, hired their own private carrier who worked a scheduled route for more than 40 years. This Norwood, Georgia carrier became the model and inspiration for the RFD plan introduced to Congress in 1893. While rural mail services were being tested in communities in 28 states in 1895, groups of 100 families were allowed to petition for future service. By 1901, rural routes served 1.8 million people; by 1920, most rural communities received postal service. Today, an astounding 18 million rural families are served by 35,000 full-time carriers who cover about 730 million miles.
The mobile post offices of the early rural carriers opened the world to millions of Americans. RFD, now known as Rural Delivery, still plays a vital role in keeping rural people informed and connected through the delivery of letters, magazines, and newspapers.