Recently, we’ve posted a few blog topics focusing on the connections between stamp art and politics, stamps and diverse cultures, as well as great people and their service to the World. One of the most fascinating elements of stamp collecting is the connection between postage stamps and the people, places, and events they depict. If you’re looking for a new topical stamp collecting theme, try historic bridges on U.S. stamps.
a stamp collecting topic all about building connections
November is Historic Bridge Awareness Month. And if there is a stamp collecting topic that is all about building connections, it has to be bridges. Research the 1983 U.S. 20 cent stamp commemorating the 100th year anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge. You’ll find that this historic bridge laid the foundation for many bridges that came after it. Any bridge is an engineering marvel to behold. But each bridge had its own purpose in being built and its own set of complications.
Connecting Brooklyn with Manhattan, the near 1600 foot long Brooklyn Bridge began construction in 1869. Completed in 1883, it remains one of the oldest and most impressive bridges in the United States. Sadly, the bridge’s original designer, John Augustus Roebling, died before the bridge was constructed. He died from complications following a foot injury while planning the massive structure’s design.
The Mackinac Bridge replaced up to nine ferries worth of traffic
The Brooklyn Bridge served as the inspiration behind the 1957 Mackinac Bridge which, today, connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. This historic bridge replaced as many as nine ferries worth of daily commercial and private traffic. Similarly, the construction of the World renown Golden Gate Bridge alleviated huge ferry delays across the San Francisco Bay. There is amazing depth behind the topic of bridges. Far too much to cover here. Try a quick search for a couple of the bridges depicted on the postage stamps above to see for yourself.
See historicbridges.org for a wealth of intriguing information and history on many of the most historical bridges in the United States. Keep your eye out for more historic bridges on U.S. stamps.
Happy Stamp Collecting!
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