The Postal Service™ celebrates the sixth issuance in the popular lighthouse series, July 13, with the addition of five New England Coastal Lighthouses: Portland Head (Cape Elizabeth, ME); Portsmouth Harbor (New Castle, NH); Point Judith (Narragansett, RI); New London Harbor (New London, CT) and Boston Harbor (Boston, MA). First-Day-of-Issue (FDOI) dedication ceremonies will take place at or near all five Lighthouses at 10 a.m. EDT that day.
As lighthouse stamps are extremely popular with nautical collectors, Postmasters and other managers near other lighthouses, which have or have not been commemorated on stamps, are encouraged to conduct Special Dedication ceremonies as soon as July 13 or anytime thereafter.
Note: The term “Second-Day” ceremony is no longer used as it implies that events may only be held the day following the FDOI ceremony. Special Dedication ceremonies may be held the same day of issuance or any day afterwards.
This publicity kit includes all you need to conduct a successful — and profitable — event:
n Sample media advisory.
n Sample news release (with hyperlinks to stamp products).
n Sample speech.
n Corporate Communications contacts to help promote and publicize your event.
n Government Relations Contacts should you wish to invite local elected officials.
n Contact for obtaining poster-sized images to unveil at your event.
Email mark.r.saunders@usps.gov to obtain word documents of the sample media advisory, news release, and speech as well as the high-resolution stamp images for media use. For information on preserving America’s lighthouses and providing speakers at lighthouse stamp dedication ceremonies, contact the U.S. Lighthouse Society at 415-362-7255 or via email at www.uslhs.org.
Contact: NAME
XXX-XXX-XXXX
XXXXXXX@usps.gov
usps.com/news
NAME Post Office to Celebrate Lighthouse Forever Stamps
High-resolution images of the stamps are available for media use only by emailing mark.r.saunders@usps.gov.
WHAT: The NAME Post Office commemorates America’s lighthouses by conducting a special dedication ceremony to celebrate the issuance of the New England Coastal Lighthouses Forever stamps. The event is free and open to the public.
WHEN: Time, Day, Date
WHERE: Location Name
Street Address
City, State and ZIP Code
WHO: Postmaster or other official Name
Title, Name
Title, Name, etc.
BACKGROUND: Five lighthouses that have withstood the fury of devastating hurricanes for centuries stand tall on postage with the issuance of the New England Coastal Lighthouses Forever stamps.
IF EVENT IS TAKING PLACE AT A LOCAL LIGHTHOUSE, INCLUDE A BRIEF HISTORY HERE. ALSO INDICATE IF A STAMP WAS PREVISOULY ISSUED.
The stamps feature five New England Coastal Lighthouses: Portland Head (Cape Elizabeth, ME); Portsmouth Harbor (New Castle, NH); Point Judith (Narragansett, RI); New London Harbor (New London, CT); and Boston Harbor (Boston, MA). For more information on preserving America’s lighthouses, contact the U.S. Lighthouse Society at www.uslhs.org.
(IF THIS MEDIA ADVISORY IS DISTRIBUTED PRIOR TO JULY 13, (Beginning July 13,) Customers may purchase the New England Coastal Lighthouses Forever stamps at http://usps.com/stamps, at 800-STAMP-24 (800-782-6724) and at Post Offices nationwide.
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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.
For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation: 152 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With more than 31,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private-sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 42nd in the 2012 Fortune 500. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for seven years and the fourth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
Follow the Postal Service at www.twitter.com/USPSSTAMPS and at www.facebook.com/USPSSTAMPS.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: NAME
DATE XXX-XXX-XXXX
XXXXXXX@usps.gov
usps.com/news
To obtain high-resolution images of the stamps for media use only, please email mark.r.saunders@usps.gov.
(Name) Post Office Celebrates Lighthouse Forever Stamps
City, State — Lighthouse and other nautical enthusiasts joined the Name Post Office in celebrating New England Coastal Lighthouse Forever stamps today with a special dedication ceremony at (Name of Location).
This sixth issuance in the popular U.S. Postal Service Lighthouses series features five New England Coastal Lighthouses: Portland Head (Cape Elizabeth, ME); Portsmouth Harbor (New Castle, NH); Point Judith (Narragansett, RI); New London Harbor (New London, CT) and Boston Harbor (Boston, MA).
Always good for mailing 1-ounce First-Class letters anytime in the future regardless of price changes, customers may purchase the stamps at http://usps.com/stamps, at 800-STAMP-24 (800-782-6724) and at the Name Post Office.
“We’re here today to celebrate America’s lighthouses, which have been guiding ships and guarding our waters for centuries,” said City Postmaster Name.
[The Following Paragraph Is Optional] Like the Name lighthouse here in our community, these beloved beacons continue a tradition that goes back to ancient civilizations, when early sailors relied on light from the shore to navigate waters.
By issuing these stamps, we’re continuing a long Postal Service tradition of celebrating lighthouses. Since 1990, we’ve also issued stamps honoring the lighthouses of the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, the Pacific and the Southeast.
“These lighthouse stamps are Forever stamps, and are always good for mailing First-Class letters. You can buy them today and use them forever,” said Name. “In other words, these stamps — like the lighthouses they honor — are meant to stand the test of time.”
Joining Name in dedicating the stamps were Title, Name; Title, Name, ETC.
(Include Quote From Other Ceremony Participant Here).
Each of the five new stamps features an original acrylic painting by Howard Koslow of Toms River, NJ, based on recent photographs of the lighthouses. The art directors were Howard E. Paine of Delaplane, VA, and Greg Breeding of Charlottesville, VA.
In addition to many other stamp projects, Koslow has produced the art for the entire Lighthouses series: the five lighthouses in the 1990 stamp booklet; the Great Lakes Lighthouses stamps issued in 1995; the Southeastern Lighthouses stamps in 2003; the Pacific Lighthouses stamps in 2007; and the Gulf Coast Lighthouses stamps in 2009. For more information on America’s lighthouses, contact the U.S. Lighthouse Society at 415-362-7255 or via email at www.uslhs.org,
Portland Head
Maine’s oldest lighthouse, Portland Head was established in 1791. The construction of the tower was among the first acts of the Lighthouse Establishment, a federal agency created in 1789. The original rubblestone lighthouse still stands and looks much as it did in the late 1800s.
The 80-foot lighthouse had two types of Fresnel lenses during its history, a second-order and a fourth-order. Fresnel lenses concentrate the source of light into a single beam to be seen at greater distances. The lower the order, the larger the lens, and the greater distance the light can be seen. The lighthouse was automated in 1989, and a modern DCB-224 optic installed. A beautiful Victorian keepers’ duplex, built on the station in 1891, now houses the Museum at Portland Head Light. The lighthouse has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973, and is owned and managed by the Town of Cape Elizabeth, ME.
The tower and the keepers’ house together are considered one of the most beautiful stations in the U.S., and they are among the most frequently photographed subjects in Maine.
Portsmouth Harbor
The first navigational aid in New Hampshire was established in Portsmouth Harbor, the state’s only deep-water port. Although citizens had demanded a lighthouse as early as 1721, it was not until 50 years later that the Portsmouth Harbor's first beacon was lit. An iron lantern topped the 50-foot shingled tower, while three copper lamps provided the light. The 1771 tower was replaced in 1804 by another tower constructed of wood, located some 100 yards to the south of the original site.
When the second wooden tower succumbed to deterioration, a new 48-foot tower of bolted cast-iron plates was built on its foundation. It was actually assembled inside the old structure, which was dismantled after construction.
Managed by the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, the 1878 lighthouse still stands on the northeast point of Great Island on the Piscataqua River in New Castle. It retains its fourth-order Fresnel lens. The lighthouse was automated in 1960 and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2009.
Boston Harbor
Commonly called the Boston Harbor Light, North America’s first true light station was built in 1716 at the urging of the city's business community. Three years later a cannon — America’s first fog signal — was added to the light station. During the Revolutionary War, as British forces abandoned the area in 1776, they demolished the lighthouse by blowing it up. Boston Harbor Light also is commonly called Boston Light.
A new rubblestone tower, 75-feet tall, replaced the destroyed lighthouse in 1783; it was raised an additional 14 feet in 1859, when its current second-order Fresnel lens was also installed. After large cracks appeared in the east wall in 1809, iron hoops were installed for support; aluminum bands replaced the corroded iron in 1973–74.
The lighthouse was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Standing on Little Brewster Island within the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreational Area, it was the last lighthouse in the United States to be automated in 1998, and is the only remaining American lighthouse to have a resident keeper employed by the federal government.
Point Judith
Located at the entrance to Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, Point Judith Lighthouse guards a particularly dangerous area of the Atlantic. The point, which extends several miles into the Atlantic, has seen many shipwrecks, even after the addition of the lighthouse.
The first lighthouse built on the site, in 1810, was a wooden tower that toppled over in a storm five years later. A second tower, made of sturdier stone, was erected in 1816; its lamps and lenses were operated by clockwork mechanism powered by a 288-pound weight. This 35-foot tower remained in service until 1857, when the current lighthouse was built. The octagonal tower, made from brownstone blocks, stands 51 feet high and boasts a fourth-order Fresnel lens.
Automated in 1954, the lighthouse underwent a major restoration in 2000 using blocks from the same area where the original stone was quarried. The lighthouse stands on Coast Guard Station Point Judith and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988.
New London Harbor
Connecticut’s oldest and tallest lighthouse, New London Harbor Lighthouse was originally established in 1761. Financed by a lottery held by the Connecticut colonial legislature, the first lighthouse was a 64-foot tower that included a wooden lantern.
The tower developed a crack and was replaced in 1801 with the present lighthouse. New London Harbor was one of the earliest American lighthouses with a flashing light, added in 1801 to distinguish it from the lights of nearby homes.
The octagonal brownstone structure is 89 feet high and retains its fourth-order Fresnel lens, which was installed in 1857. The lighthouse was automated in 1912, and the keeper’s house was sold. In 1990, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Though the keeper’s house is privately owned, the New London Maritime Society acquired the lighthouse in 2010.
For more information on America’s lighthouses, contact the U.S. Lighthouse Society at 415-362-7255 or via email at www.uslhs.org,
Many of this year’s other stamps may be viewed on Facebook at http://facebook.com/USPSStamps, via Twitter @USPSstamps or at http://beyondtheperf.com/2013-preview.
First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmarks by mail. They may purchase stamps at a local Post Office, The Postal Store at http://usps.com/stamps or by calling 800-STAMP-24. Customers should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:
New England Coastal Lighthouses (Portland Head) Stamps
Postmaster
125 Forest Avenue
Portland, ME 04101-9998
New England Coastal Lighthouses (Portsmouth Harbor) Stamps
Postmaster
73 Main Street
New Castle, NH 03854-9998
New England Coastal Lighthouses (Port Judith) Stamps
Postmaster
551 Kingstown Road
Wakefield, RI 02789-9998
New England Coastal Lighthouses (New London Harbor) Stamps
Postmaster
27 Masonic Street
New London, CT 06320-9998
New England Coastal Lighthouses (Boston Harbor) Stamps
Postmaster
25 Dorchester Avenue, Rm. 3011
Boston, MA 02205-9600
After applying first-day-of-issue postmarks, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. While the first 50 postmarks are free, there is a 5-cent charge per postmark beyond that. All orders must be postmarked by Sept. 13, 2013.
First-Day Covers
The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog, online at usps.com/stamps or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:
United States Postal Service Catalog Request
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
Philatelic Products
Nine philatelic products are available for these stamps:
n 471206, Press Sheet with Die Cuts, $55.20 (print quantity of 2,500).
n 471208, Press Sheet without Die Cuts, $55.20 (print quantity of 2,500).
n 471210, Keepsake (Pane and Digital Color Postmark Set of 5), $17.95.
n 471216, First-Day Cover Set of 5, $4.50.
n 471221, Digital Color Postmark Set of 5, $8.05.
n 471223, Notecards, $15.95.
n 471230, Ceremony Program (random single), $6.95.
n 471231, Stamp Deck Card, $0.95.
n 471232, Stamp Deck Card with Digital Color Postmark (random single), $1.96.
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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.
For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation: 152 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With more than 31,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private-sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 42nd in the 2012 Fortune 500. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for seven years and the fourth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
Follow the Postal Service at www.twitter.com/USPSSTAMPS and at www.facebook.com/USPSSTAMPS.
SAMPLE STAMP DEDICATION SPEECH
POSTAL SERVICE OFFICIAL’S NAME AND TITLE
United States Postal Service
“New England Coastal Lighthouses”
Special Dedication Ceremony
Date
City, State
Good [Morning/afternoon/evening]. My name is ______________________ and I’m [Title] for the United States Postal Service. Welcome to today’s ceremony.
OR:
Thank you, ______________________, for your kind introduction. And thank you all for joining us for this event. [Optional: Add A Brief Comment About How This Location Relates To Lighthouses]
I also want to thank our special guests for joining us in [City/Town/Type of Setting].
In particular, I’m glad that our good friend(s) [Name of Elected Official] is here, along with [Other Individuals Who Should Be Recognized].
We’re here today to celebrate America’s lighthouses, which have been guiding ships and guarding our waters for centuries.
[The Following Paragraph Is Optional} Like the lighthouse here in our community, these beloved beacons continue a tradition that goes back to ancient civilizations, when early sailors relied on light from the shore to navigate waters.
History’s most famous lighthouse is the Pharos (“fair-ose”). It stood off the coast of Egypt for more than 1,500 years and became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
America’s lighthouses haven’t been around quite that long — but each one occupies a special place in history nonetheless.
And so today, the Postal Service is proud to issue new stamps that honor five of America’s oldest lighthouses, which you’ll find along the coast of New England.
They are:
n The lighthouse in Portland Head, Maine — that state’s oldest lighthouse, which went into operation in 1791;
n The lighthouse in Portsmouth Harbor, New Hampshire — the first navigational aid in the state’s only deep-water port;
n The Boston Harbor Lighthouse, which was demolished by the British in 1776 and rebuilt by determined Americans a few years later;
n The lighthouse in Point Judith, Rhode Island, which guards a particularly dangerous area of the Atlantic; and
n The lighthouse in New London Harbor, Connecticut — one of the earliest American lighthouses with a flashing light, which was added to distinguish it from the illumination coming from nearby homes.
By issuing these stamps, we’re continuing a long Postal Service tradition of celebrating lighthouses.
Since 1990, we’ve also issued stamps honoring the lighthouses of the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, the Pacific, and the Southeast.
Each of today’s stamps offers a close-up view of one of the New England lighthouses.
The images capture each structure’s sense of majesty, along with the mysterious qualities that invite us to take a closer look.
And don’t forget: These are Forever stamps. They’ll always be good for First-Class postage, so you can buy them today and use them forever.
In other words: These stamps — like the lighthouses they honor — are meant to stand the test of time.
It brings to mind the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose famous poem, “The Lighthouse,” was inspired by structures like this.
And so in closing, I’d like to share with you Longfellow’s description of the timeless quality of our lighthouses:
“Steadfast, serene, immovable, the same /
Year after year, through all the silent night /
Burns on forevermore that quenchless flame /
Shines on that inextinguishable light!”
Thank you.
[Pause for applause]
And now I’d like to invite our guests to join me on stage for the dedication of the New England Coastal Lighthouses stamp.
[Unveil the stamp and pose for photos]
Obtaining Blowups for Dedication Event
Poster-sized blowups of the New England Coastal Lighthouse Forever stamps can be purchased through Colours Imaging, coloursimaging.com, by contacting Zach Scott, zscott@coloursinc.com, or 703-379-1121.
Area Corporate Communications Managers
Please feel free to contact these individuals for assistance in promoting your event.
Capital Metro
George Maffett
Telephone: 301-548-1465
email: george.t.maffett@usps.gov
Eastern
Paul Smith
Telephone: 215-863-5055
email: paul.f.smith@usps.gov
Great Lakes
Victor Dubina
Telephone: 216-443-4596
email: victor.dubina@usps.gov
Pacific
Don Smeraldi
Telephone: 858-674-3149
email: don.a.smeraldi@usps.gov
Northeast
Maureen Marion
Telephone: 860-285-7029
email: maureen.p.marion@usps.gov
Southern
Monica Robbs (acting)
Telephone: 214-819-8704
email: monica.c.robbs@usps.gov
Western
John Friess
Telephone: 303-313-5028
email: john.g.friess@usps.gov
Congressional State/Manager/Representative Listing
Please feel free to contact the following individuals for assistance in contacting elected officials you may wish to invite to your event.
To dial extension, please use prefix (202) 268-XXXX
— Media Relations,
Corporate Communications, 6-27-13
