After the Civil War broke out on April 12, 1861, the U.S. Postal Service was concerned that rebels in the Confederate States would sell their U.S. postage stamps back to northerners – thus providing funding for the South.
By mid-year, a whole new set of U.S. stamps was issued with strict instructions for postmasters in the North to make the transition from old to new within a six-day window. Obviously, with communication and transportation issues slowing things down, this Great American Postage Stamp Exchange of 1861 had a few hiccups along the way!
See how Postmaster James R. Hartsock and the Iowa City post office fared with the Great American Postage Stamp Exchange of 1861.
READ MORE ABOUT THIS IOWA STORY HERE.
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