The West Virginia Statehood stamp will be sold starting June 20, 2013, as a part of the state’s sesquicentennial celebration.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin today announced the introduction of a new United States Postal Service stamp commemorating West Virginia’s 150th birthday. Thomas J. Marshall, General Counsel and Executive Vice President for the Postal Service, will join the governor on the Capitol steps to dedicate the stamp during the official Sesquicentennial Ceremony June 20 at 1:50 p.m. Stamps will be available for purchase and cancellation following the  ceremony. Â
“I’m very excited about this new stamp celebrating our state’s sesquicentennial. The stamp is a beautiful depiction of our majestic mountains and forests—a little slice of ‘Almost Heaven.’ I can’t think of a better way to mark West Virginia’s 150th birthday,” Gov. Tomblin said. “This is a momentous occasion for our state, and I’m honored that the Postal Service has partnered with us to commemorate it.”
The West Virginia Statehood stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp and will go on sale, nationwide, June 20, 2013. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce rate.
The photograph featured on the stamp was taken by Roger Spencer, a lifelong West Virginian, as he traveled the Highland Scenic Highway (Route 150) in Pocahontas County, in the Monongahela National Forest. Spencer took the photo in October 2008.
Spencer believes a successful photograph should produce an emotional response that recreates the experience the photographer had while creating it.
“This image,” Spencer said, “evokes the serenity one feels when standing atop one of our mountains, breathing in the clean, refreshing, mountain air of a cool October morning, and viewing the landscape bathed in the surreal glow of the misty, early morning light.” Spencer adds that for many West Virginians, a breathtaking panoramic view truly exemplifies their home state.
“Any image representing West Virginia must include our beloved mountains, from which our state gets its nickname, ‘The Mountain State,'” he explains. “Our state slogan, ‘Wild and Wonderful,’ is also embodied in this image of our rugged mountains and valleys.”
The Sesquicentennial Ceremony will kick off the four-day birthday celebration at the State Capitol. To learn more about the Capitol celebration or to find a celebration in your community, visit: www.wv150.com.
