The History of the 1936 Rhode Island Tercentenary Stamp Issue
(Reprinted from a Rhode Island Philatelic Society News Article)
300th Anniversary of the Settlement of Rhode Island
Stamp Issued on May 4, 1936 in Providence, RI - Scott Catalog #777

The Hope post office used a cancellation with two different sized fours in it. One is a serifed four () and the other is a block four  (). One theory is that maybe the number fell out or broke and the postmaster inserted the block four. Who knows, it will always be a mystery. Illustrated below is a Hope cover with a Block 4 cancel.

An unauthorized ship cancel appears on this Airmail cover. In 1935, a cover was issued for fund raising purposes to help repair the USS Constellation. This cover had a three bar U.S. Naval Training Station cancel dated October 27, 1935. Someone took that canceling device and changed it to show a May 4 cancel with no year date. Therefore this cover is not a legitimate Tercentenary cover.

Another bogus cover is one that reads U.S.S. Texas. This ship was at sea on May 4th and therefore unavailable for first day cancellation. Other ships were available on May 4th and therefore covers with those cancels are legitimate. The U.S.S. Semmes was in New London Ct. and able to cancel that day. The U.S.S. Tillman was in Newport on May 4th. The united Fruit Co. on board the S.S. Tela, a company transport ship issued a cancel on May 4th. I did not count this cancel as a post office in the master list at the end of this article.

There were two railroad cancellations on May 4th. They are the Worcester and Providence RPO and the Providence Transfer Office. Mail was dropped off at the Providence Transfer Office and canceled by a transfer clerk. There were three shifts for these clerks with the first starting at midnight and having a one in the CDS, the second shift from 8AM having a two in its CDS and the third shift having a three in its CDS.

There were four summer post offices functioning in 1936, but they didn't open until June 1st. Their May 4th cancels could not occur until June 1st. Some First Day cover collectors might disagree, but I have included them in the master list of Tercentenary post offices. These offices were Coggeshall Rural Station, Misquamicut, Prudence, and Weekapaugh.

CONTINUED on Next Page..

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