U.S. Postal Service celebrates 50 years on July 1

July 1 is a notable day in the history of the country's mail service. On that day in 1847 the Post Office Department issued its first postage stamps: a 5-cent orange brown adhesive showing Benjamin Franklin, the first postmaster general, and a 10-cent black adhesive depicting George Washington. Six years later the first printed stamped envelopes went on sale. Those embossed pieces of stationery also showed Washington, but in profile. The legendary, if short-lived, Pony Express began operating on July 1, 1861, as a U.S. mail route between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. From its start in April 1861 the service was operated by a private express company. In 1902, rural free delivery became a permanent service; in 1924 regularly scheduled night transcontinental airmail service began; and in 1963 the ZIP code was introduced. Finally in 1971, the Post Office Department became the quasi-governmental U.S. Postal Service, established under the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970. Postal officials celebrated the day by having post offices across the country offer free commemorative envelopes upon which collectors could affix a new 8-cent stamp showing the USPS eagle logo and obtain a local postmark as a souvenir. Collectors trekked from post office to post office getting as many different postmarks as possible. I remember doing that with my father, John, 50 years ago as we traveled from Lorain into Cleveland and back to North Ridgeville seeking cancels from as many post offices as we could visit. It was a memorable day. The USPS continues to operate today, albeit with plenty of challenges. It receives no tax dollars for operations, relying on revenues from the sale of stamps and postage, related products and services. Multibillion dollars in federal aid allocated under pandemic relief legislation has helped the agency weather the storm. Unfortunately, the USPS remains under a tremendous financial burden, accumulating nearly $161 billion in debt by the end of 2019, according to the Government Accountability Office. Declining mail volume, rising costs and a federal requirement to prepay retiree benefits are primary factors in the debt. On top of that, the coronavirus pandemic created tremendous difficulties for the agency last holiday season with a never-before-seen surge in package shipping. Deliveries were delayed for weeks. Yet postal workers persisted and overcame the challenges. Mail delivery time has improved. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has introduced a decadelong Delivering for America reform plan that will see postage rates rise, cutbacks in service and staff reductions. One step calls for a 3-cent increase in basic first-class postage to 58 cents beginning Aug. 29. Other fees, including those for postal box rental, will rise as well. The request for the rate increases must be approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission. Despite the difficulties, postal workers across Lorain County and the country continue to deliver the mail, providing a much-needed service which most people seem to take for granted. Meetings resume The Black River Stamp Club is meeting once again. Members say it's about time. As pandemic restrictions are easing, the club's first meeting in 16 months is set for July 9 at Harvest Christian Church, 907 Eastern Heights Blvd., Elyria. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for socializing and trading with the regular meeting and auction beginning at 7:30 p.m. People who are not vaccinated are asked to wear a mask. Everyone is invited to the summer reunion of one of Ohio's largest stamp clubs. Meetings will return to the first Friday of the month on Aug. 6. Dennis Sadowski can be reached at sadowski.dennis@gmail.com. PHOTO 7171 Credit: DENNIS SADOWSKI A first day cover postmarked in Washington, D.C. on July 1, 1971 marked the birth of the U.S. Postal Service as an independent agency.