My good buddy, fellow Iowa historian, and postal cover collector – Jim Petersen is president of the Iowa Postal History Society (IPHS). He grew up in the Waterloo & Cedar Falls area, is a 1976 graduate from the UI School of Pharmacy, and is a retired pharmacist – now living in Santa Fe, NM. Jim has a large collection of postal covers from across Iowa, and he has graciously agreed to share a few that have historical significance to Iowa City and Johnson County. Below – you will find those covers that we have included on our pages of Our Iowa Heritage. Thanks Jim!








(JP-007) U.S. #213 – Series of 1887 2¢ Washington First Day of Issue: September 10, 1887 Postmarked – April 8, 1889 in Iowa City. (JP-008) U.S. #212 Series of 1887 1¢ Franklin. Issued: June, 1887 Postmarked May 24, 1890 in Iowa City. Read more here.







(JP-011a-d) U.S. #26 Series of 1857-61 3¢ Washington Type III Earliest Known Use: September 14, 1857 – Postmarked June/July 1861 in Iowa City & Johnson County, Iowa – Read more here.



(JP-012a-c) U.S. #65 Series of 1861-62 3¢ Washington – Earliest Known Use: August 18, 1861 – Postmarked May/Sept 1861 in Iowa City, Iowa. Read more here.






(JP-012d-i) More Civil War covers postmarked between 1862 – 1865 in Iowa City, Iowa. Read more here.


(JP-012j-k) Two additional Civil War covers postmarked 1863/1865 in Sioux City, Iowa & Nashville, Tennessee. Read more here.




(JP-013a-013b) Two rare CDV cards – circa 1865 – that come from the studios of Iowa City photographers Isaac Wetherby and John (J.T.) Calkin, and include U.S. Revenue stamps – U.S. #R5 and U.S. #R15 – issued during the 1860’s to help raise funds for the Civil War. Read more here.



(JP-015) 1900 Postal Cover & Letter U.S. #267 1895 2¢ Washington Type III Earliest Known Use: May, 1895. Postmarked November 12, 1900 in Iowa City. Read more here.






(JP-020) U.S. #26 Series of 1857-61 3¢ Washington Type III Earliest Known Use: September 14, 1857 – Postmarked on the Dubuque & Pacific Railroad in July/August between 1858 -1861 – mailed in Waterloo – headed for Dubuque & Fort Madison – Read more here.


(JP-021) U.S. #319 1903 2¢ George Washington Issue Date: November 12, 1903 Postmarked November 8, 1907. Read more here.


(JP-022) 1887 Postal Cover U.S. #206 1¢ Franklin. Issued: November 2, 1881 Postmarked March 31, 1887 in Iowa City. Read more here.



(JP-024) U.S. #210 1883 2¢ Washington Earliest Known Use: October 1, 1883 – Postmarked December 28, 1885 in Iowa City. Read more here.


(JP-025) U.S. #U73 1880’s 4¢ Jackson – Embossed & U.S. #235 – 6¢ Columbian Expedition 1893 – Postmarked October 6, 1897 in Iowa City. Read more here.



(JP-027) U.S. #300 1903 1¢ Franklin – Postmarked September 28, 1908. Read more here.


(JP-028) U.S. #300 1903 1¢ Franklin – Postmarked May 26, 1908. Read more here.


(JP-029) U.S. #26 Series of 1857-61 3¢ Washington Type III Earliest Known Use: September 14, 1857 – Both letters are postmarked in Iowa City – Circa 1857 – Read more here.



(JP-030a & JP-030b) U.S. #26 Series of 1857-61 3¢ Washington Type III Earliest Known Use: September 14, 1857 – Both letters are postmarked in Iowa City – Circa 1857 – Read more here.


(JP-031) 1855 stamp-less cover & circular letter – Iowa City to Hastings (Barry County), Michigan – Read more here.


(JP-032a & b) 1842 stamp-less covers & letters – Postmarked in Iowa City on January 2, 1842 to Beverly, Mass – Read more here.




(JP-035) 1843 stamp-less cover – Iowa City to Waynesburg (Greene County), PA – Read more here.


(JP-036a & JP-036b) 1898 Postal Cover – U.S. #267 1895 2¢ Washington Type III and 1899 Postal Cover – U.S. #286 1898 2¢ Trans-Mississippi Exposition: Farming in the West – both postmarked in Kalona, Iowa Read more here.


(JP-037a) 1845 stamp-less cover – Iowa City to Defiance (Defiance County), Ohio – Read more here.


(JP-037b) 1846 stamp-less cover – Iowa City to Defiance, Ohio – Read more here.



(JP-038)1900 Postal Cover & Letter – U.S. #267 1895 2¢ Washington Type III Earliest Known Use: May, 1895. Postmarked October 5, 1900 in Iowa City. – Read more here.



(JP-040) 1850 stamp-less cover – Iowa City to Hartford, Connecticut – Read more here.


(JP-041) 1847 stamp-less cover – Iowa City to New York City – Read more here.





(JP-045) 1883 Postal Cover w/ U.S. #U84 3¢ Washington Embossed & U.S. #206 1¢ Franklin. Postmarked January 20, 1883 in Amish, Iowa. Read more here.






(JP-049 a/b) U.S. #65 Series of 1861-62 3¢ Washington – Earliest Known Use: August 18, 1861 – Postmarked (dates uncertain) in Amish, Iowa Johnson County. Read more here.





(JP-053) 1840 stamp-less cover & letter – mailed from along the existing Bloomington/Napoleon Trail to Iowa City with no postmark but marked ‘Free’ – Read more here.



(JP-055) 1849 stamp-less cover & letter – Red Rock, Marion County, Iowa to Iowa City – “Free” government-related – mailed December 29, 1849 – Read more here.


(JP-056) 1839 stamp-less cover & letter – West Point, Lee County, Iowa to Burlington, Iowa – “Free” government-related with no postage markings – probably hand-delivered to the Governor in September 1839 – Read more here.


(JP-057) 1840 stamp-less cover & letter – Montrose, Lee County, Iowa to Burlington, Iowa – Marked February 12, 1840 – Read more here.




(JP-060) 1833 stamp-less cover & letter – Piketon, Ohio to Columbus, Ohio – Postmarked in Portsmouth, Ohio on August 23, 1833 – Read more here.


(JP-061) #300 1¢ Washington Postmarked May 6, 1905 in Iowa City, IA. – Read more here.


(JP-062) #406 2¢ Washington Postmarked December 9, 1915 in Iowa City, IA. – Read more here.



(JP-064) 1875 – UX1 Postcard – Iowa City to Des Moines, Iowa – Postmarked November 13, 1875 Read more here.





