NORTH CAROLINA POSTAL HISTORIAN The Journal of North Carolina Postal History VOLUME 37, NO. 3 SUMMER 2018 WHOLE 143 National Air Mail Week Revisited Semi-Official Envelopes from the Gubernatorial Election of 1864 Affiliate #155 of the American Philatelic Society PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE IN THIS ISSUE ith this issue, we are again reminded of the National Air Mail Week Revisited on the 100th Anni- quality and variety of articles presented in the versary of the First Air Mail Service by Tony L. North Carolina Postal Historian. The issue is Crumbley. .......................................................................................3 dedicated to the National Air Mail Week on its Some Semi-Official Return Envelopes from the W100th anniversary of the first airmail service. National Air Mail Gubernatorial Election of 1864 by Maurice Week was one of the first attempts to market nationwide Bursey............................................................................................20 airmail service in the United States, which was a seminal event Mystery Covers from Fall 2017 Issue - Update..................25 in our air mail history. It is another example of how the study A Twice-forwarded Letter by Richard F. Winter..................26 of postal history showcases and expands our understanding of New Marking...............................................................................27 the significance of this event. The author, Tony Crumbley, has made this issue even more special by including an actual flown . cover from that event which is tipped into the journal. This is treasures may be offered. Our society will have its annual very generous of Tony to donate flown covers for all recipients general meeting at Charpex. During the general meeting, which of this journal, and only the 3rd time that an actual cover has will be at 1:00 pm, we will have a interesting presentation by been placed in the North Carolina Postal Historian. Harvey Teal on the subject of the Wilmington and Manchester Also in this issue Maurice Bursey discusses the special Railroad. This promises to be a very informative program. envelopes that were printed and planned to be used in each of Members who can are encouraged to attend. The address is the the North Carolina counties to report the results of the 1864 Worrell Building on 1228 Elizabeth Street. For show details, gubernatorial elections. The sheriffs of each county submitted visit www.charpex.info/. We hope to see you there and at the the results of this election under their signatures on the annual meeting. Following the general meeting, the society’s envelopes. A strong sampling of these Confederate envelopes, Board of Directors will meet at 2:00 pm. The activities of the which Maurice designates as “semi-official envelopes,” is Board will be posted on our website after the meeting. shown. Just a few of our members are still delinquent in paying dues The readers are reminded that it is time for the venerable for 2018. If you are one, please renew your subscription to our Charlotte postal show, Charpex, will be held on July 28-29 at journal by paying the 2018 dues of $15. We don’t want to lose the Central Piedmont Community Colleges. The show is always you as members. a very interesting one, and the collector never knows what A red dot on your mailing label means we have not received your dues. The North Carolina Postal Historian is the official journal of the North Carolina NORTH CAROLINA Postal History Society. It is published quarterly in January, April, July and October. POSTAL HISTORIAN Membership in the Society is $15 per year. Applications for membership may be ( Library of Congress No. ISSN 1054-9188.) obtained from the Secretary/Treasurer. Submissions for the Postal Historian or Web site www.ncpostalhistory.com inquiries may be addressed to the editors. President Vice-President Secretary/Treasurer Editors Charles F. Hall, Jr. Gene Lightfoot Harry Albert Tony L. Crumbley Richard F. Winter 120 Kings Heights Blvd 111 Dear Valley Drive 5300 Birchleaf Drive PO Box 681447 5432 Geneva Terrace Kinston, NC 28501 Cary, NC 27519 Raleigh, N.C. 27606 Charlotte, NC 28216 Colfax, NC 27235 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Board of Directors Term Ending 2018 Term Ending 2019 Term Ending 2020 Alan Vestal Scott Steward Richard F. Winter Jim Baird Charles F. Hall, Jr. Bill DiPaolo Gene Lightfoot National Air Mail Week Revisited on the 100 Anniversary of the First Air Mail Service by Tony L. Crumbley n May 15, 1918, the first scheduled airplane the week of May 15-21, 1938, to coincide with the 20th service for mail delivery began on a route anniversary of the nation’s air mail service. between Washington and New York. By the late President Roosevelt designed a new air mail stamp to be 1930s, the Depression and other factors had released on May 14, 1938. Figure 1 illustrates the hand drawing Ocaused a slow increase in the volume of air mail carried. of the design that he gave to Postmaster General Farley. Historians credit Postmaster General James Farley and Though the colors were moved around and the legends President Roosevelt for developing the idea of a marketing flipped, this stamp design was the concept of President campaign to promote air mail. In the fall of 1937, Postmaster Roosevelt. Under his signature on the drawing is the Latin General Farley instructed Charlotte Postmaster Paul R. Younts word, fecit, used to mean “he made it.” Figure 2 illustrates the to develop a North Carolina campaign. In a matter of months, production stamps, a plate number block of four stamps from Younts developed a strategy to fly air mail from any city in the one of the panes. Shown in the selvage are the plate numbers state that wanted to participate. Younts declared October for both the blue frame and red central subject, an eagle 11-16, 1937 as All North Carolina Air Mail Week. On the 12th holding a shield, olive branch and arrows. The plates for this of October, fifty-four North Carolina cities participated in this stamp produced 100 stamps in two panes of 50 stamps each, air mail feat. (See North Carolina Postal Historian, Vol. 16, No. 4, separated by a wide vertical gutter. The two colors, printed Winter 1997-98, Whole No. 63.) separately in red and blue on white paper resulted in dramatically Clearly, this had been quite a successful event for such a beautiful stamps. short turnaround time. It is not known if this was a test for The Postmaster General challenged every city, town and what would occur a year later in 1938 or if it was a catalyst for hamlet in the country to develop a distinctive National Air Mail that event. We do know that early in the year 1938, Roosevelt and Farley decide to have a national air mail week campaign across the whole United States. Charlotte’s Postmaster Paul Younts was again put in charge of this marketing campaign. Of interest, no funds were budgeted to support this event. Dates were set for Figure 1. ▲ ▲ Figure 2. Plate number block of four stamps of the pro- President Roosevelt’s original sketch of the new airmail stamp to duction stamp designed by President Roosevelt for use be issued for National Airmail week. The President’s instructions during National Air Mail Week. This stamp was a 1938 6¢ were “Red border – blue eagle- white background.” The final ver- dark blue and carmine air mail stamp, flat plate printed. sion of the stamp reversed the color scheme and flipped the leg- end. (Courtesy of Smithsonian National Postal Museum) NCPHS Postal Historian SUMMER 2018 Page 3 Week (NAMW) cachet that told something about their had a NAMW chairman to organize the event. In most cases, community. Since postmasters at this time were politically this was the postmaster of the largest city in the state. appointed, there was a strong response. It is estimated that The national campaign was more complex than the North over 10,000 U.S. cities participated. Carolina campaign a year earlier. Not only was the task The author does not know the exact date that Younts designed to have every person and every business in the nation received the order to develop a plan for this event; however, receive an air mail letter, there was also to be a national poster from Younts’ own files, we know the first letter to go out to contest promoting air mail and a national essay contest for the North Carolina postmasters was dated March 18, 1938. students. Their topic was to be “Wings Across America.” Figure 3 is a copy of the letter sent to each of the North The state chairmen were to organize the state postmasters Carolina postmasters from Postmaster James H. McKenzie of and locate the pilots and planes within the state to carry the Salisbury, NAMW Chairman for North Carolina. Each state mail. Private aviators were sworn in as “one day only” air mail pilots. On the designated Thursday, May 19, 1938, weather permitting, these pilots landed their Cessnas, Wacos, and Stinsons, in farm fields and on dirt roads, golf courses and waterways, or any other landing place suitable to pick up the mail. Most of these cities had never had access to air mail service and most would never have it again. To promote this event, two million posters were printed and distributed to every school and post office in the nation. Two million window stickers were printed and distributed, all of which had to be covered under existing post office budgets. Figure 4 is an example of one of the posters that was printed and distributed for the event. Other designs are known as well.