Post by ronbreznay on Jul 18, 2018 1:36:22 GMT
Rattlesnake Island is located in Lake Erie, 11 miles off the coast of Port Clinton, Ohio. The island is the location of the only airmail local post, which existed from 1966 to 1989 and from 2005 to 2013.
James P. Frackelton, M.D., a joint owner of the island, decided to start the local post after repeated applications to the Post Office Department for mail service were declined.
From 1966 through 1989, Island Airlines in Port Clinton, using a 1928 Ford Tri-Motor (the “Tin Goose”), flew the mail from Rattlesnake Island to Port Clinton, where it was put into the mail stream. From 2005 through 2009, Griffing Air Service in Sandusky, Ohio, transported the mail.
There were restrictions on local post stamps and markings: the stamps could not resemble U.S. stamps, the stamps could not be placed in the upper right of the envelope, the cancellations could not resemble U.S. cancellations, and U.S. postage must also be affixed to the envelope. The first Rattlesnake Island stamps were rectangular, but that violated the requirement of not resembling U.S. stamps. Subsequent issues were triangular.
The stamps were almost always issued in sets of three: for postcards, letters, and parcels. The original values were 5¢, 10¢, and 25¢, respectively. The 2009 values were 25¢, 50¢, and $1.00, respectively. From 1966 through 2009, 186 stamps were issued.
