WEST CHESTER, PA – The Chester County History Center will present the special exhibit Letters and Post Cards: 1820-1920 Chester County with a collection of postal history and picture post cards that illustrate U.S. postal delivery from and to West Chester from 1820 to 1920. This exhibit presents the rare opportunity to view hundreds of examples from the exclusive collection of renowned philatelist and guest curator William Schultz.
Visitors will also be able to view “Domestic Rates – U.S.P.O. Acts of 1792 to 1863”, Schultz’s nationally award-winning postal history materials. It includes rare early examples of mail that depict pivotal moments in postal delivery in the U.S. as it changed from something affordable to only a few to a method of communication that the average person could use.
Before social media and telephones, handwritten letters were one of the few ways to communicate across town, across the country, and around the world. Whether you are fascinated by colorful post cards of scenes gone by or are intrigued by how far a letter traveled 200 years ago, this exhibit will capture your imagination. The exhibit is included with museum admission.
Mr. Schultz expresses “Postal history is a critically important part of how ordinary people were able to communicate in the 1800s. Over decades of collecting I have explored the movement and importance of mail and the effects of rate changes on mail volume in the U.S. from 1820 to 1920 including, of course, the issuance of the first U. S. postage stamps in 1847.”
William R. Schultz is a Nationally Accredited Chief Judge with the American Philatelic Society (APS). He was a member of the Accreditation Committee of the APS – 2007 to 2011 and a Lecturer at the Summer Seminars. He is a life Member and Director of the Association of Philatelic Exhibitors (AAPE) and the Pennsylvania Postal History Society. He is a Past President & Founder of the Phoenixville PA Stamp Club and founder of the Philatelic Gathering Group. He is a Past President of Brookhaven Stamp Club, Past President, Editor and Director of the PA Postal History Society, Past Secretary of the Board of Regents at the Society of Philatelic Americans. He has been a Competitive Philatelic & Postal History Exhibitor for over 58 years and the winner of the Philatelic Achievement Award in 2008 at the Philadelphia National Stamp Expo.
The History Center’s mission is to Link the Past to the Present to Inspire the Future. As part of this mission, it is our express intention to share the history of all aspects of life and members of our community and their important contributions to our County and Nation. CCHC is committed to being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that offers programs, events, and participation opportunities for all community members and to serving, supporting, and being accessible to the rich and diverse community of Chester County, Greater Philadelphia, and beyond.
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