Inside an old church building just west of the University of Arizona is one of Tucson's best-kept secrets for historians, Civil War enthusiasts, teachers and stamp collectors.
The Postal History Foundation was formed in 1960, when lifelong stamp collector William Alexander retired in Tucson and made its creation his personal mission.
Goals were to encourage kids to collect stamps, to study postal history, to gather related historical objects and to create a society of stamp collectors, historians and others committed to promoting the postal history of Arizona and the West.
The foundation started as the Western Postal History Museum in the basement of the Arizona Pioneers Historical Society, now the Arizona Historical Society. It's now a couple of blocks away in the old Truth Chapel, at 920 N. First Ave.
The organization's active outreach program to kids includes classroom presentations, field trips to the foundation and the distribution of stamp-related educational materials throughout the United States.
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Lisa Dembowski, education director, and her assistant, Linda Wynn, work with several schools and groups, including Carrillo Elementary, Satori school, Lineweaver Elementary, Faith Lutheran School, Tolson Elementary, the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the American Heritage Girls Club. They also work with schools in Phoenix, Show Low and Casa Grande, as well as many home-school groups.
Another project of the foundation is the Slusser Memorial Philatelic Library, adjacent to the main foundation building and designed by local architect Les Wallach of Line and Space LLC. It was dedicated in October 1996 and contains more than 30,000 items related to American history, postal history and stamp collecting, including books, photos, maps, catalogs and journals. The library also holds a collection of Civil War literature and material. The librarian, Lisa Hodgkins, also acts as archivist and webmaster for the Postal History Foundation.
The foundation's on-site post office is the only postal outlet in the state that receives almost all the new stamp issues, said Lena Rogers, who runs the philatelic window for stamp collectors. Collectors who shop there can buy just one stamp rather than a whole pane, and it's sold at face value. (Only cash or checks with ID are accepted.)
Special event today
The Postal History Foundation will hold an event today to commemorate Tucson's returning to Union control during the Civil War.
The event, scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. at the foundation's headquarters at 920 N. First Ave., will feature two specially designed souvenir envelopes. Each bears a stamp from a Civil War battle (Antietam or New Orleans) and will be canceled with crossed sabres.
The pair will be available for $4.
The Postal History Foundation
• Address: 920 N. First Ave.
• Hours: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday
For more information call 623-6652 or visit www.postalhistoryfoundation.org
A sampling of items at the Postal History Foundation
• A late-1800s post office that was moved from Naco.
• The world's first postage stamp, bearing the profile of a young Queen Victoria, issued for the first time on May 6, 1840, and known as the Penny Black.
• A pane of blue-and-white stamps bearing the image of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, believed to have been printed in London.
• Available for viewing upon request is an assemblage of Harpers Weekly magazines from the 1800s, records of now-defunct post offices in the Southwest and handwritten letters from Gen. William T. Sherman during the Civil War.
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