US Postal Service Honors Douglass Houghton Bicentennial

Date: October 28, 2009
Contact: Al Johnson, Keweenaw NHP Advisory Commissioner, [phone]

(Calumet, MI) The Keweenaw National Historical Park (NHP) Advisory Commission will host an event on Saturday, November 7 for issuance of the United States Postal Service’s pictorial cancellation to honor the bicentennial of Douglass Houghton’s birth. The event will take place from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm in the lower level lounge of Michigan Tech’s Douglass Houghton Hall in Houghton Michigan.

According to Allan Johnson, organizer of the pictorial cancellation on behalf of the Keweenaw NHP Advisory Commission, "The event will include a brief program at 1:00 to recognize Houghton’s great accomplishments during his short life." Johnson noted, "Houghton was born September 21, 1809 and drowned in Lake Superior on October 13, 1845 while directing a combined linear-geologic survey of the area. He was only 36 years old."

Johnson also noted that several of Douglass Houghton’s direct descendents have made plans to attend the event and share family information on their famous ancestor.

Limited quantities of a special bicentennial post card depicting Robert Thom’s painting of Houghton at Eagle River, Michigan in 1840 will be available for purchase (50 cents) and will include the commemorative pictorial cancellation.

Free parking will be available in Lot 8, next to Douglass Houghton Hall, which is off of Cliff Drive adjacent to the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.

Those unable to attend the event may still have their letters or postcards stamped with the special cancellation stamp by sending their pre-addressed and postage paid items to the Houghton Post Office at: Pictorial Postmarks; Douglass Houghton Hall Station; 701 Shelden Avenue; Houghton, MI 49931.

This cancellation service will be provided by the Houghton post office for 30 days following the event. As a reminder, First Class postage for letters is 44 cents and 28 cents for postcards.