When it comes to the upcoming solar eclipse, Salem has already made its national mark via the U.S. Postal Service, displayed on the map printed on the back of the new Total Eclipse Forever Stamps sheet showing the coast-to-coast path of the Monday, Aug. 21, eclipse.
Those stamps, which were issued last month, feature a historic first for postage stamps – when the image of the eclipse is touched by a finger, the warmth reveals a photo of the moon.
On the date of the eclipse itself, the Salem Post Office will make another mark on history, offering a commemorative Aug. 21 postmark celebrating the capital city’s place in the path of totality.
As part of the Capitol’s celebration, this collectible postmark will be available in the Galleria of the Capitol building from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the 21st, and will be applied free to envelopes, cards or other paper items bearing Total Eclipse stamps or any other current U.S. First-Class postage stamps. At the Salem Post Office’s booth, eclipse and other postage stamps will be available for sale.
Also on Monday, acting Salem Postmaster Carter Clark will present a framed memento of the Postal Service’s commemoration of the celestial event to Gov. Kate Brown at the Capitol.
The Oregon Capitol Store is joining in the stamp collecting fun on Aug. 21 by offering limited-edition collectible envelopes with the Total Eclipse stamps and special Salem postmark already applied. The envelope celebrates Salem as the nation’s first state capital to be in the eclipse’s path. The envelopes are limited to 1,000 and will sell for $1.50 each at the gift shop. The store will open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 21. To contact the Oregon Capitol Store, call 503-986-1391.
The Salem postmark will also be available all day Aug. 21 at the Salem Main Post Office, 1050 25th St. Postal customers who want to obtain Salem’s special postmark may request it via mail by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope inside another, larger envelope, to the following address:
ECLIPSE POSTMARK
PO BOX 9998
SALEM OR 97301-9998
Mailed self-addressed, stamped envelopes will be postmarked at the appropriate city and then returned via regular mail. Postmark requests must be mailed to each Post Office individually to obtain that city’s postmark. Mailed requests for postmarks must be sent no later than Sept. 21, 2017, in order to be fulfilled.
Salem is one of 30 Post Offices in Oregon and one in Southwest Washington joining with residents and visitors to celebrate the eclipse’s journey across the state. (A list of the locations is at the end of this news release.)
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
OREGON/SW WASHINGTON POST OFFICES WITH SPECIAL AUG. 21 ECLIPSE POSTMARKS:
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Aurora Post Office Baker City Post Office Dallas Post Office Dayville Post Office Depoe Bay Post Office Detroit Post Office Donald Post Office Gates Post Office Gervais Post Office Hubbard Post Office Huntington Post Office Idanha Post Office John Day Post Office Lincoln City Post Office Long Creek Post Office Lyons Post Office |
Madras Post Office Mill City Post Office Mitchell Post Office Monument Post Office Ocean Park Post Office Ontario Post Office Prairie City Post Office Prineville Post Office Redmond Post Office Salem Main Post Office Spray Post Office Stayton Post Office Union Post Office Unity Post Office Warm Springs Post Office
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Salem’s postmark will be available at the State Capitol on the morning of the eclipse at festivities being held there. Others will be available at the Post Office facilities listed.
Postal customers who want to obtain a postmark from any of the locations may request them via mail by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope inside another, larger envelope, to any of the Post Offices on the list above using the following address format:
| ECLIPSE POSTMARK PO BOX 9998 CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE |
Example: | ECLIPSE POSTMARK PO BOX 9998 BAKER CITY, OR 97814 |
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