Mail by rail, recently restored mail hook featured on new postmark

By Michael Baadke

A pictorial postmark from Pewee Valley, Ky., celebrates the recent discovery and restoration of the town’s railroad mail crane. Pewee Valley, northeast of Louisville, relied upon trains for mail service for more than a century, beginning in 1856.

The Oct. 22 postmark shows the Pewee Valley caboose on the tracks next to the mail crane, which for many years held mail sacks that would be snagged on the fly with a mail hook wielded by a sturdy postal clerk on board the train.

For more information, including a video demonstrating the process, visit the Peewee Valley history website.

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The postmark celebrates the Oct. 22 noon installation and dedication of the restored mail crane, in conjunction with Pewee Valley Arts and Crafts Day.

To obtain this pictorial postmark, address your requests to:

MAIL BY RAIL Station, Postmaster, 313 LaGrange Road, Pewee Valley, KY 40056-9998, Oct. 22.

The following cancels are also available:

PILLAR COLLEGE Station, Postmaster, 2 Federal Square, Newark, NJ 07102, Oct. 13. (Sign lettered “Newark,” “Sesquitercentennial 1666-2016, City of Newark’s 350th Anniversary.”)

ORANGE TIE BALL 2016 HALLOWEEN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD Station, Postmaster, 2168 Seventh Ave., Anoka, MN 55303-9998, Oct. 15. (Three jack-o’-lanterns on wooden fence.)

OCALA STAMP SHOW Station, Postmaster, 400 SW First Ave., Ocala, FL 34478-9998, Oct. 15. (Seminole leader Osceola, fort with flag, “Fort King National Historic Landmark.”)

DOVER STAMP CLUB Station, Postmaster, Box 434, Dover, ME 19903-9998, Oct. 15. (Large insect viewed from above with text on its back.)

RATTLESNAKE FESTIVAL Station, Postmaster, 12231 Main St., San Antonio, FL 33576-9998, Oct. 15. (“San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run, Rotary Club of San Antonio, Fl., 50th,” ribbon with “1967-2016,” rattlesnake and turtle.)

CENWISPEX 16 Station, Postmaster, Box 9998, Stevens Point, WI 54481-9998, Oct. 15. (Map showing Apostle Islands in Lake Superior, “Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.”)

USS ZUMWALT DDG-1000 COMMISSIONING Station, Postmaster, 900 E. Fayette St., Room 502, Baltimore, MD 21233-9998, Oct. 15. (Image of the destroyer).

THAMESPEX Station, Postmaster, 222 Boston Post Road, Waterford, CT 06385-9998, Oct. 16. (Axe, “USS Louisville SSN 724, Submarine Combat History.”)

USS ARIZONA BB-39 100th ANNIVERSARY Station, Postmaster, 271 Cadman Plaza E., Brooklyn, NY 11201-9997, Oct. 16. (Image of the battleship.)

ALZHEIMER’S AWARENESS WALK Station, Postmaster, 1002 Lee St., Charleston, WV 25301-9998, Oct. 18. (Tree, “Braley Care Homes.”)

CLASSIC MOVIE MUSEUM 50TH ANNIVERSARY Station, Postmaster, 151 N. Main St., Bristol, CT 06010-9998, Oct. 22. (“Witch’s Dungeon” logo with Zenobia the gypsy witch.)

JACK DANIELS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP INVITATIONAL BARBECUE Station, Postmaster, Box 9998, Lynchburg, TN 37352-9998, Oct. 22. (“28th Annual, 2016.”)

HALLOWEEN Station, Postmaster, Box 811943, Boca Raton, FL 33481-1943, Oct. 22. (Two witches on flying broomsticks, two jack-o’-lanterns, “‘Witching’ you a fun day.”)

USS DETROIT LCS-1 COMMISSIONING Station, Postmaster, 1401 W. Fort St., Room M 248, Detroit, MI 48233-9700, Oct. 22. (Image of the littoral combat ship.)

STAMPFEST Station, Postmaster Philatelic Services, 6451 Fort McKay Road, Umpqua, OR 97486-9998, Oct. 22. (Parchment reading “Repeal the Stamp Act.”)

HACKENSACK Station, 560 Huyler St., Hackensack, NJ 07606-9998, Oct. 23. (Decorative line border around text, “India Heritage Center, Diwali Mela 2016.”)

SESQUICENTENNIAL Station, 38750 N. Main St., Scio, OR 97374-9998, Oct. 24. (Covered wagon, covered bridge, person, tree, “Scio OR celebrates 150 1866-2016.”)

USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT CVN-71 30th ANNIVERSARY Station, Postmaster, Box 719, Norfolk, VA 23501-9998, Oct. 25. (Image of the aircraft carrier.)

The following cancels have been granted 30-day extensions:

HAMILTON BREAST CANCER Station, Postmaster, 40462 Highway 45 S., Hamilton, MS 39746-9998, Oct. 1. (Flowering plant.)

MAIN Station, Postmaster, 2597 Main St., Maine, NY 13802-9998, Oct. 1. (“Maine Endwell Little League 2016 World Series Champions,” crossed bats, baseball, home plate.)

AUTUMN ON PARADE Station, Postmaster, Box 9998, Oregon, IL 61061-9998, Oct. 1. (Black Hawk American Indian statue, two maple leaves, pumpkins, “Celebrating the Heartland,” “46 Years! 1970-2016.”)

DISTRICT 11 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Station, Postmaster, Box 9998, Shidler, OK 74652-9998, Oct. 3. (Gushing oil well, “Homecoming.”)

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Station, Postmaster, 5545 Highway 54, Osage Beach, MO 65065, Oct. 6. (Four poles with sign, “Central MO PCC,” trophy cup, “2016 Mailers Conference.”)

A-PLUS 29TH ANNUAL EASTERN REGION CONFERENCE Station, Postmaster, 2901 Scott Futrell Drive, Charlotte, NC 28228-9998, Oct. 8. (Rhombus around three stick figures, stamp image with “Stamp of Approval” inscription in oval, “To Fulfill a Dream You Must First Have a Vision!”)

53rd ANNUAL CATOCTIN COLORFEST ARTS AND CRAFT SHOW Station, Postmaster, 110 Water St., Thurmont, MD 21788-9998, Oct. 8-9. (Autumn harvest images including pumpkins, leaves.)

Share information by writing to Postmark Pursuit, Box 4129, Sidney, OH 45365.

Instructions for requesting postmarks

Linn’s subscribers can see complete instructions for requesting postmarks here.