Just last month we saw another increase in the price of “forever stamps.” They were first issued in post offices on April 12, 2007, at a price of $0.41. The concept was that they would be accepted as first class postage regardless of future increases in prices. This eliminated the need for stamps of various denominations. As we all know, the cost of the “forever stamps” postage has continued to climb and just last month, on July 12, the price was raised again, now to $0.82.

One of the hobbies I was fascinated with as a youngster was stamp collecting. It was a challenge to find old stamps, learning how to properly remove them from mail, and then properly mount them for display. First Day Covers from the post office which launched a new stamp design were coveted.

You would send a stamped, self-addressed envelope in another one to the post office doing the launch with the request to have the new stamp placed on your self-addressed envelope and mailed back to you with the first day of issue post mark. One could pay for either a single stamp or a plate block of four. And, one could have the plate block with the stamp sheet number as well! These were the most treasured.

Our mail has changed over the years, decades, and centuries not only by cost, but by what our culture demands. The most recent developments have been the steady and fast decline of the volume of snail mail. More and more documents are being digitally mailed and bills paid on line. Ten years ago, a book of stamps would only last a month. Now they last a year! The only significant use of stamps now is around the holidays to send greetings to one another, and even that is dwindling.

We now have e-mail and texting to rapidly communicate with one another. Our ancestors took advantage of what was available to stay in touch with family and friends. Their form of texting was the postcard, the least expensive mail option. The interesting thing is whatever one wrote could be read by anyone! Being cost conscious and counting their pennies, they sometimes covered every bare spot on the postcard with writing, getting the most for their postage. Writing could wrap around the edges and more.

Our community grew, farms turned into building lots, and people moved in. The quaint, small hamlets which made up the Town of Newburgh and surrounding communities were swallowed up, being forgotten.

But, thanks to old postcards and their postmarks, their names are still with us. Some are more difficult to find like Leptondale, Middle Hope, Orange Lake, and Savilton, but they will turn up in postcard collections. I just saw Ray’s postcard of Orange Lake which prompted the idea to share these old postmarks. Most of these old post offices are gone or have been converted into homes like Orange Lake’s.

If you’re going through old envelopes and mail, take a look at the postmarks. They are a wonderful way to locate where people lived, where they visited, and who their friends and family were.

I still find nothing more heartwarming than opening my mailbox and finding a card or a handwritten letter from a friend. Memories flood in with a sense of nostalgia and I can’t wait to open the envelope.