The Postal Service has released a Mississippi Statehood stamp to celebrate the Magnolia State’s 200th anniversary this year.
The stamp features a 2009 photograph showing a close-up of a guitar player’s hands. Mississippi is the birthplace of many blues artists who helped shape the uniquely American music genre.
“This stamp represents the music, the mystery, the heart and soul of Mississippi. It is my hope that the 200th anniversary of Mississippi statehood, combined with this wonderful stamp, can begin a dialogue about what Mississippi has meant to the country and to the world,” said Chief Customer and Marketing Officer Jim Cochrane, who dedicated the stamp March 31 at a ceremony in Gulfport, MS.
Other speakers and guests included Gov. Phil Bryant, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, Gulfport Mayor William Gardner Hewes, Miss Mississippi Laura Lee Lewis and Walt Grayson, a local broadcaster.
Mississippi entered the union Dec. 10, 1817.
Among states, it ranks 32nd in geographic size, and with almost 3 million people, it ranks 31st in population.
A stamp celebrating Nebraska’s statehood was released earlier this year.
The Mississippi Statehood stamp is available at Post Offices and usps.com. The March 31 news release has more information.
