Just in time for summer, the United States Postal Service (USPS) released new additions commemorating five Southeastern structures to its popular series of lighthouse stamps. The Southeastern Lighthouse stamps were issued June 13 at the Tybee Island Lighthouse, Tybee Island, GA, and were made available nationwide beginning June 14. MACtac, a worldwide supplier of pressure-sensitive label materials, supplied the self-adhesive construction for the 125 million stamps formatted in panes of 20.

The stamps showcase the stately beauty of the Southeastern lighthouses that have aided mariners since the early 18th century. Each stamp features an original acrylic painting by artist Howard Koslow of Toms River, NJ, based on recent photographs of the lighthouses.

“Lighthouses are beautiful examples of blending form and function,” says Allison Hazel, product manager, MACtac Printing Products. “These timeless structures have guided a countless number of sailors safely home, and MACtac is proud to be part of the effort to honor this seaside tradition.”

A Little History

The five lighthouses depicted are Old Cape Henry, Cape Lookout, Morris Island, Tybee Island and Hillsboro Inlet. Located on the grounds of Fort Story in Virginia Beach, VA, Old Cape Henry Lighthouse – the first lighthouse constructed by the U.S. government – began protecting the southern mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in 1972. Today it is owned by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities and is open to the public.

Cape Lookout Lighthouse is located on Core Banks along Cape Lookout National Seashore near Beaufort, NC. First activated in 1859, the lighthouse was automated in the 1950s and continues to operate under the direction of the U.S. Coast Guard.

In 1876, the Morris Island Lighthouse was erected on the site of an earlier lighthouse demolished during the Civil War. Located at the entrance to the harbor of Charleston, SC, it is owned by the state of South Carolina and operates under a lease agreement with Save the Light Inc., a nonprofit group dedicated to its protection and preservation.

Tybee Island Lighthouse was built in 1773 on Tybee Island east of Savannah, GA. Operated by the Tybee Island Historical Society, the lighthouse continues to guide ships safely into Savannah Harbor. The Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse was built under government contract in Detroit, then erected and inspected prior to being shipped in parts to its present location near Pompano Beach, FL. This octagonal, iron-skeleton tower was reassembled and activated in 1907.

The stamps were designed by Howard E. Paine of Delaplane, VA, and contain Scrambled Indicia hidden images, which reveal the year each lighthouse was built. Scrambled Indicia is a patented encoding process that scrambles, distorts and overlaps images and symbols that, when printed, are not visible to the naked eye. The images become clear only when viewed through a specially manufactured decoder lens.

As a qualified supplier for USPS commemorative stamps, MACtac has provided materials for a number of pressure sensitive stamps, including recent releases of “Audrey Hepburn,” “Louisiana Purchase,” “American Filmmaking,” and “Zora Neale Hurston” stamps.

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MACtac, a leading supplier of pressure-sensitive adhesive materials, offers solutions for a range of industries including printing, graphic design, packaging, digital imaging, photographic, assembly engineering, medical and communications. MACtac is a subsidiary of the Bemis Company Inc., the largest flexible packaging supplier in North America. Headquartered in Stow, OH, MACtac is a global company with manufacturing and distribution facilities in several countries.

For more information, visit www.MACtac.com.