The Library History Buff

Promoting the appreciation, enjoyment, and preservation of library history

A Place Called Library - Library, Pennsylvania

There is a community in Pennsylvania that is named "Library".  Library, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community in South Park Township in Alleghenny County. It was named in honor of the first library established in the area by John Moore in 1833. The name "Library" was a marked improvement over its previous name of "Loafer's Hollow". The community of Library is served by the South Park Town Library. A Post Office was established in Library in 1842. Postmarks on mail that has been mailed from or cancelled in the post office make nice additions to a collection of postal librariana. It is another case where library history and postal history come together.

A cover mailed to Library, PA on February 17, 1862.

This cover was mailed in June of 1862. It appears to be hand cancelled in Library, PA.

A postcard mailed on August 24, 1910 to Rural Free Delivery Route #1, Library, PA. It was hand cancelled "Library pa", probably by the mail carrier for the rural route.

A cover mailed by Library Postmaster S. L. Boyer from Library, Pa on May 13, 1819.

This January 21, 1931 air mail, special delivery letter has been signed by Library postmaster S. L. Boyer.

Postal card mailed from Library, PA in 1940. See message side below.

  Message side of postal card shown above.

A World War II patriotic envelope mailed from Library on June 12, 1944.

A cover mailed from Library, PA to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1954.

Detail from back of cover shown above.

A Library cover with a distinctive cancel over the 1957 350th anniversary of ship building stamp.

This first day cover (FDC) for the 1980 Library of Congress stamp is Cachet Number 1 for the Library of Congress Philatelic Club.  It has been cancelled on the first day of issue (April 21, 1980) in Library, PA with a special library slogan cancel "YOUR LIBRARY PROVIDES KNOWLEDGE". I have examples of this cancellation being previously used in Library in 1975 and 1977 on regular commercial mail.  The official first day of issue cancellation for the Library of Congress stamp took place in Washington, D.C.

This Collins cachet for the 1980 America's Libraries stamp has a second unofficial first day of issue cancellation from Library.  Collins cachets are known for their unofficial cancellations.