HODGENVILLE, KY – One of the greatest men in American history, who became a legend and folk hero after his death, is being immortalized on four commemorative stamps by the U.S. Postal Service. The first day of issue celebration is being held today in Springfield, IL, to commemorate the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth.

The stamp art, created by Mark Summers, features different aspects of Lincoln’s life: a rail-splitter, a lawyer, a politician and a president.

Lincoln was born in Kentucky in 1809. He lived in southern Indiana's Spencer County from ages 7 to 21, when he moved to Illinois, and is buried in Springfield.

The Postal Service also is honoring the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial with a special postmark and commemorative envelope with a pictorial postmark dated Feb. 12, 2008, reflecting the first day of the Bicentennial Celebration. Included on each envelope will be a Liberty Bell Forever Stamp.

A new commemorative envelope with the four Lincoln stamps will also be available with a pictorial postmark dated Feb. 12, 2009.

The envelope illustrates Lincoln’s life from the log cabin in Hardin County, KY, now part of LaRue County, where he was born; as a young boy with his dog; a statue of an older, more mature Lincoln; and includes the words “Forever Immortalized.” The envelope was designed by LaRue County artist Phyllis Blakeman.

The commemorative envelope and special postmark will be available at the Lincoln Museum, 66 Lincoln Square, Hodgenville, KY, on Feb. 12 only, and at the Hodgenville Post Office, 102 S. Walters Ave. while supplies last; the postmark will be available for 45 days after February 12.

Customers can order the envelopes by mail. Include a return address, phone number, the quantity desired and a check or money order payable to “Postmaster.” Send order to: Lincoln Bicentennial, c/o Postmaster, Hodgenville Post Office, 102 S. Walters Ave., Hodgenville, KY 42748-9998. Both envelopes cost $5, the currency that honors Lincoln.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.