MT. UPTON – The U.S. Post Office, in conjunction with the Chenango County Civil War Commemoration Project, will begin offering Pictorial Postmarks today.

The Mt. Upton Post Office is the first on the list to host the event on Thursday starting at 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1:30 – 4:45 p.m. For those who are unable to attend the event, the Postal Service provides mail-back service – customers can mail pre-stamped envelopes and cards to the designated Post Office to receive your pictorial postmark. To qualify for this service, mail-in requests must be postmarked no later than 30 days following the actual pictorial postmark date – in this case, April 12.

Post Offices in Chenango County were asked to participate in commemorating the Civil War with a Pictorial Postmark and are responding favorably. It is hoped that all twenty Chenango County Post Offices will be able to participate. Since this commemoration is expected to last through part of August 2013, keep looking for updates and articles on which Post Office is next on the list.

On April 24, 2012, the U.S. Post Office will release its new Civil War Commemorative Forever Stamp. The Guilford Post Office will be hosting their Pictorial Postmark on that date and everyone is encouraged to participate.

A Pictorial Postmark features words and graphics related to an event – commemorating the Civil War. Since the Post Office is already issuing two new Civil War commemorative stamps each year through 2015 (150 years after the Civil War ended), the committee is using its own logo, the Post Office hosting with the date and the two stamps to mark some of the important dates of the Civil War.

A Pictorial Postmark is not the same as a cancellation. A cancellation is used to deface or “kill” a stamp to prevent its reuse. A postmark is used to indicate the Post Office of origin and date and time of mailing. A postmark often is used as a cancellation, but a cancellation is never used as a postmark. Due to the interest in the Civil War and the stamps, these Pictorial Postmarks will become highly collectible.