

On July 27 the United States Postal Service will issue a postage stamp commemorating Owney, the dog that became the unofficial mascot of the Railway Mail Service in the late 19th century. A number of philatelic organizations are taking this opportunity to promote stamp collecting to a wider audience. The National Postal Museum is undertaking an especially aggressive effort in this regard. The American Philatelic Society has created an Owney Resouce Page on its website to promote this event. The Railway Mail Service Library (RMSL)in Boyce, VA owns a photograph of Owney taken in Pittsfield, MA after arriving from New York City on the Pittsfield & Bridgeport RPO. The RMSL has created a postcard using their photograph of Owney and are selling the postcards on eBay. The Postal History Foundation and its Slusser Library in Tucson are celebrating the release of the Owney stamp by having a children’s party and stamp unveiling on July 27th. The party will include activities for the kids and a storyteller recounting the tale of Owney. They are also selling a cachet and have produced a special postmark for the day.