Georgia Postal History Society
History of the Society
The Georgia Postal History Society began as a suggestion by Ervin Underwood to form a society to study the postal history of Georgia. Four collectors, McCary Ballard, Frank Crown, Tom Kingsley, and William McDougall, responded to the suggestion and met with Underwood on 15 April 1984 to discuss the idea. At that time is was agreed to proceed with the formation of a society and Underwood volunteered to act as Secretary protem until a formal structure was established.
By the end of the year the structure of the society was agreed upon and the first elections conducted. The officers selected for the first three year term were Ervin Underwood, President; Francis J. Crown, Jr., Vice- President; Douglas N. Clark, Secretary; and Ernest C. Owens, Treasurer.
The society, which numbers 35 members, meets once a year at what is now called the Southeastern Stamp Expo (formerly Peach State Stamp Show). The annual meeting always includes an informative seminar by a GPHS member that is open to all members of the public.
Benefits of Membership
The Georgia Postal History Society is devoted to the study of all aspects of Georgia postal history. This includes the pre-stamp, or stampless, period that dates back to the late 1700s, the Confederate period, fancy cancels, machine postmarks, RFD markings, railroad markings, flight covers, first days, last days, use of a particular stamp on covers from Georgia and just about anything else you can think of that mixes stamp collecting and Georgia. Basically there is something for everyone.
Benefits of membership include a quarterly journal, Georgia Post Roads and the annual meeting held each year at the Southeastern Stamp Expo in Atlanta. You also have the benefit of meeting and corresponding with other members of the society, many of whom are recognized experts in their Georgia postal history specialty.
Are you interested in becoming a member? The best way to join is to come to the Southeastern Stamp Expo and meet current members and obtain a membership application. Or, download and complete the membership application (below link) and send to the Society's President, Steve Swain (at the address below).
The Georgia Postal History Society began as a suggestion by Ervin Underwood to form a society to study the postal history of Georgia. Four collectors, McCary Ballard, Frank Crown, Tom Kingsley, and William McDougall, responded to the suggestion and met with Underwood on 15 April 1984 to discuss the idea. At that time is was agreed to proceed with the formation of a society and Underwood volunteered to act as Secretary protem until a formal structure was established.
By the end of the year the structure of the society was agreed upon and the first elections conducted. The officers selected for the first three year term were Ervin Underwood, President; Francis J. Crown, Jr., Vice- President; Douglas N. Clark, Secretary; and Ernest C. Owens, Treasurer.
The society, which numbers 35 members, meets once a year at what is now called the Southeastern Stamp Expo (formerly Peach State Stamp Show). The annual meeting always includes an informative seminar by a GPHS member that is open to all members of the public.
Benefits of Membership
The Georgia Postal History Society is devoted to the study of all aspects of Georgia postal history. This includes the pre-stamp, or stampless, period that dates back to the late 1700s, the Confederate period, fancy cancels, machine postmarks, RFD markings, railroad markings, flight covers, first days, last days, use of a particular stamp on covers from Georgia and just about anything else you can think of that mixes stamp collecting and Georgia. Basically there is something for everyone.
Benefits of membership include a quarterly journal, Georgia Post Roads and the annual meeting held each year at the Southeastern Stamp Expo in Atlanta. You also have the benefit of meeting and corresponding with other members of the society, many of whom are recognized experts in their Georgia postal history specialty.
Are you interested in becoming a member? The best way to join is to come to the Southeastern Stamp Expo and meet current members and obtain a membership application. Or, download and complete the membership application (below link) and send to the Society's President, Steve Swain (at the address below).
| Georgia Postal History Society - Membership Application.doc |
Officers Contact
Our current slate of elected officers is: Steve Swain, President
jedit@fphsonline.com
President: Steve Swain
Vice-President: Ed Jackson
Secretary-Treasurer: Nancy Clark and Steve Swain
President Emeritus: Douglas N. Clark
Our current slate of elected officers is: Steve Swain, President
jedit@fphsonline.com
President: Steve Swain
Vice-President: Ed Jackson
Secretary-Treasurer: Nancy Clark and Steve Swain
President Emeritus: Douglas N. Clark
Georgia Post Roads
The official Journal of the Georgia Postal History Society, Georgia Post Roads, is published quarterly featuring articles on various aspects of Georgia postal history. Articles for publication may be submitted in the form of typed manuscript or, preferably, via email.
Articles by Society members and non-members are welcomed. Contact: Steve Swain, Editor.
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The Digital G.P.H.S. Bulletin and Georgia Post Roads
With a May 1985 publication date, the G. P. H. S. Bulletin was the first journal of the Georgia Postal History Society. The first three volumes were titled G. P. H. S. Bulletin. The second three volumes were titled Bulletin. The first issue of Georgia Post Roads was published in September 1991. The stated purpose was not as “a replacement for the GPHS Bulletin but rather a means to keep the lines of communication open between members of the society and to provide timely information of interest to all members.” The subheading in the banner of the early issues sums up this up: “Newsletter of the Georgia Postal History Society.” Beginning with the January 1994 issue GPR took on a more formal role as noted by the new subheading in the banner: “Publication of the Georgia Postal History Society.” Digital files, in an Adobe PDF format, of the G.P.H.S. Bulletin and Georgia Post Roads are provided below for viewing and/or downloading. Also provided is an index for the Bulletin and Georgia Post Roads. Guidance for searching the digital files is provided in the Searching the Digital Files document. The Adobe Acrobat Reader program (or an other PDF file viewer program) is needed to open the digital files. The Adobe Reader software is free and can be downloaded via www.adobe.com. |
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| Bulletin of the GPHS Vols 1-6 (1985-1991) |
| Georgia Post Roads Vols 1-5 (1991-1995) |
| Georgia Post Roads Vols 6-10 (1996-2000) |
| Georgia Post Roads Vols 11-15 (2001-2005) |
| Georgia Post Roads Vols 16-20 (2006-2012) |
| Georgia Post Roads Vols 21-25 (2013-2017) |
| Georgia Post Roads Vols 26-29 (2018-2021) |
| GPHS Bulletin Index |
| Georgia Post Roads Index |
| Searching the Digital Files |
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Society Member Literature Competition Awards SESCAL, October 9, 2021 Nancy B. Clark Gold: "Steamship City of Rockland" Silver: "World War II Trainee and POW Mail Camp Wheeler, Macon, Georgia" Great American Stamp Show, August 12-15, 2021 Francis J. Crown, Jr. Vermeil: "The 3c Nashville Provisional Adhesive: A Study in Postal History Research" Vermeil: As posted on the Civil War Philatelic Society’s website: “Crown Illustrated Censuses of Confederate Postmasters’ Provisionals” Sarasota National Stamp Expo, January 22-24, 2021 Francis J. Crown, Jr. Reserve Grand Award: “The 10¢ Red ‘Southern Confederacy’ Danville, Va., Provisional Envelope Large Gold: “The 10¢ Red ‘Southern Confederacy’ Danville, Va., Provisional Envelope Gold: “Athens, Georgia, Provisional Gutter Pairs” Southern California SESCAL, October 3, 2020 Francis J. Crown, Jr. Gold: “The 10¢ Red ‘Southern Confederacy’ Danville, Va., Provisional Envelope Gold: “Dr. H. H. Green: An Early ‘Junk Mailer’ Steve Swain Large Vermeil: “Thrilling Adventures in Stamp Comics” Large Vermeil: “Fake Town Spanish-American War Postal History” |
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A Riddle Solved?
by Francis J. Crown, Jr.
More than 30 years ago, I began to gather illustrations which were to be the foundation of a catalog on Georgia stampless covers. As I began the actual compilation of what would become the Georgia Stampless Cover Catalog and Handbook, I checked my entries against those in the American Stampless Cover Catalog (ASCC). In the process, I found some minor errors in the ASCC listings but also found some listings that could not be verified. I recall two. One was a listing for Rouen, Georgia. It turned out this was not a Georgia town. The other was a listing for “UNIVERSITY of Ga.” This this turned out to be a University of Virginia marking.
There was one I could not verify, and which is still listed in the ASCC as “MARIETTA / GEO / PAID 3.” I hunted for an example of this marking for the past 25 years without success. I did find the ASCC listed a postmark from Ohio described as “MARIETTA, OHIO / PAID 3.” Was this the marking listed under Marietta, Georgia? I felt it might be but wanted to see an example before making a conclusion.
Now, after years of looking I believe there is proof that the integral “PAID 3” listing for Marietta, Georgia is incorrect. Recently when scrolling through Georgia covers on eBay, I saw the cover at Figure 1.
by Francis J. Crown, Jr.
More than 30 years ago, I began to gather illustrations which were to be the foundation of a catalog on Georgia stampless covers. As I began the actual compilation of what would become the Georgia Stampless Cover Catalog and Handbook, I checked my entries against those in the American Stampless Cover Catalog (ASCC). In the process, I found some minor errors in the ASCC listings but also found some listings that could not be verified. I recall two. One was a listing for Rouen, Georgia. It turned out this was not a Georgia town. The other was a listing for “UNIVERSITY of Ga.” This this turned out to be a University of Virginia marking.
There was one I could not verify, and which is still listed in the ASCC as “MARIETTA / GEO / PAID 3.” I hunted for an example of this marking for the past 25 years without success. I did find the ASCC listed a postmark from Ohio described as “MARIETTA, OHIO / PAID 3.” Was this the marking listed under Marietta, Georgia? I felt it might be but wanted to see an example before making a conclusion.
Now, after years of looking I believe there is proof that the integral “PAID 3” listing for Marietta, Georgia is incorrect. Recently when scrolling through Georgia covers on eBay, I saw the cover at Figure 1.
Figure 1. Cover with Marietta postmark with integral “PAID 3” rate on cover to New Hampshire (Courtesy eBay).
At first glance, the state abbreviation appears to be “GEO,” but it is not. Figure 2 is an enlarged and high contrast image of the postmark on the cover at Figure 1.
Figure 2. Enlarged and high contrast image of postmark in Figure 1 (courtesy RetroReveal).
What looks like a “G” in the state abbreviation is really an “H” and the “E” an “I.” Finally, in the space between the final “A” of “MARIETTA” and the “H” of the state abbreviation is a smudge of ink. This is the first letter of the state, “OHIO.” Thus, when one looks at the state abbreviation it the actual postmark it is easy to see “GEO” instead of the actual “HIO.” Riddled solved? Or does someone have an actual Marietta, Georgia postmark with an integral “3” rate?
What looks like a “G” in the state abbreviation is really an “H” and the “E” an “I.” Finally, in the space between the final “A” of “MARIETTA” and the “H” of the state abbreviation is a smudge of ink. This is the first letter of the state, “OHIO.” Thus, when one looks at the state abbreviation it the actual postmark it is easy to see “GEO” instead of the actual “HIO.” Riddled solved? Or does someone have an actual Marietta, Georgia postmark with an integral “3” rate?
Patriotic Envelopes of Camp George H. Thomas, Lytle, Georgia, Spanish-American War by James C. Cate
2020 Annual Meeting Presentation
The 2020 annual meeting of the Georgia Postal History Society was held on February 1 at the Peachtree Corners, Ga., Southeastern Stamp Expo. James Cate presented his research and collection related to patriotic covers associated with Camp George H. Thomas and Lytle, Georgia during the brief Spanish-American War. Please open the PowerPoint presentation provided on this page to "read the story" and view the covers shown during the presentation.
| Patriotic Envelopes of Camp George H. Thomas |
"Absolutely Fireproof" Postal History
2019 Annual Meeting Presentation
The 2019 annual meeting of the Georgia Postal History Society was held on January 26 at the Peachtree Corners, Ga., Southeastern Stamp Expo. Michael Wing presented his research and collection related to hotel advertising covers announcing "Absolutely Fireproof" buildings. A most notable cover in Michael's collection is for the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta that burned in one of the worst hotel fires in history. Please open the PowerPoint presentation provided on this page to "read the story" and view the photos and covers shown during the presentation.
2019 Annual Meeting Presentation
The 2019 annual meeting of the Georgia Postal History Society was held on January 26 at the Peachtree Corners, Ga., Southeastern Stamp Expo. Michael Wing presented his research and collection related to hotel advertising covers announcing "Absolutely Fireproof" buildings. A most notable cover in Michael's collection is for the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta that burned in one of the worst hotel fires in history. Please open the PowerPoint presentation provided on this page to "read the story" and view the photos and covers shown during the presentation.
| "Absolutely Fireproof" Hotel Advertising Covers |
Camp Thomas - Chickamauga Park - Lytle Ga: Spanish-American War Postal History
2018 Annual Meeting Presentation and Discussion
The 2018 annual meeting of the Georgia Postal History Society was held on January 27 at the Norcross, Ga., Southeastern Stamp Expo. The presentation and discussion at the meeting explored Spanish-American War postal history related to three closely associated areas in Georgia: Camp Thomas, Chickamauga National Park (Battlefield) and Lytle, Ga. Please open the PowerPoint presentation provided on this page to "read the story" and view the photos and covers shown during the presentation.
2018 Annual Meeting Presentation and Discussion
The 2018 annual meeting of the Georgia Postal History Society was held on January 27 at the Norcross, Ga., Southeastern Stamp Expo. The presentation and discussion at the meeting explored Spanish-American War postal history related to three closely associated areas in Georgia: Camp Thomas, Chickamauga National Park (Battlefield) and Lytle, Ga. Please open the PowerPoint presentation provided on this page to "read the story" and view the photos and covers shown during the presentation.
| Camp Thomas-Chickamauga Park-Lytle, Ga: Spanish-American War Postal History |