Stamp Issue: New River Gorge Bridge

(Click for larger view. Copyright USPS, of course.)

On April 11, USPS introduces a new Priority Mail stamp commemorating the New River Gorge Bridge in rural West Virginia. If it weren't for the recent completion of the Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (that bypasses the Hoover Dam connecting Nevada and Arizona), this would still be the highest vehicular bridge in the hemisphere. (It crosses at 876 feet above gorge level.)

I came across the site while randomly exploring rural West Virginia (... for its many small post offices) during my first cross-country road trip in 2008. How could one resist stopping and taking in the sights when the sign says "Western Hemisphere's Longest Arch Bridge"?

I explored for a couple of hours, visiting the NPS's New River Gorge Visitors Center, and driving the old route across the gorge, which the Bridge then bypassed. (See below.)



The closest post office to the bridge is that of the small town of Lansing. Its USPS Locator Tool listing is by no means accurate; it's helpful to either ask for directions, or, read this blog! This map is a result of Google Maps satellite view and my memory of my visit to the office:

A is the location of the post office, and B represents the NPS Visitor Center.


View Larger Map

Here are two photos of the Lansing office:

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Lansing, WV post office; generic signage

The First-Day ceremony of the stamp will actually be held in Fayetteville, across the bridge from Lansing. Yes, I visited that, too:



P.S. Here is one of my own photographs from the bridge: