Lighthouse stamps

The Grays Harbor Daily World Web site reports lighthouse fans and stamp collectors alike are being invited to the First Day of Issue ceremony Thursday for the Grays Harbor Lighthouse stamp - together with four others featuring lighthouses from Alaska, Oregon, California and Hawaii.

Elinor DeWire, president of the Washington State Lightkeepers Association, is quoted in an article by Anne Radford as saying, "People have long been attracted to lighthouses due to their symbolism. Nearly every country in the world has lighthouses, and many churches use lighthouses in their logos or literature as beacons of hope."

"Lighthouses are very benevolent structures. They symbolize things like safety, welcome, warning, ‘thy brother’s keeper.’ They have almost religious connotations," DeWire said.

A selection of U.S. lighthouses was first depicted in 1990, followed by the Great Lakes Lighthouse series in 1995 and the Southeastern Lighthouse series in 2003. The Pacific Coast Lighthouse stamps are the fourth series to feature lighthouses from around the United States.

The Grays Harbor Lighthouse was built in 1898.

Shown above are the other new stamps being issued. From the left, Diamond Head Lighthouse in Honolulu, Hawaii; Five Finger Lighthouse, near Juneau, Alaska; St. George Reef near Crescent City, Calif.;Grays Harbor Lighthouse in Washington; and the Umpqua River Lighthouse near Reedsport, Ore.

All were designed by Howard Koslow of Toms River, N.J. according to Radford.

To read the entire article, click here.

To see more lighthouse stamps, cancels, and cinderellas, click here.