Homestead Act Stamp

The Homestead Act provided unprecedented opportunity for settlers.

The Homestead Act Stamp commemorated the signing of the Homestead Act by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862. The legislation encouraged pioneers to move westward and settle the land.

The Homestead Act

While President Lincoln approved of the distribution of unsettled government land to pioneers, the legislation was unsupported by the South and passed only after several Southern states had seceded from the union. According to the Library of Congress, "The act provided settlers with 160 acres of surveyed public land after payment of a filing fee and five years of continuous residence."

Design

The stamp was designed by Bureau of Engraving and Printing artist Charles R. Chickering. It was engraved by Matthew D. Fenton in 1962. The picture engraved on the stamp was based on John McCarthy's photograph of the Bakken family sod house on homesteaded land in Milton, North Dakota.

Date of Issue

The Homestead Act Stamp was issued on May 20, 1962, in Beatrice, Nebraska, with a face value of 4 cents U.S. Postage.

References

• The National Archives: Teaching With Documents: The Homestead Act of 1862
• Library of Congress: Today in History--The Homestead Act
• Library of Congress: Today in History--Photographs from the Fred Hultstrand and F.A. Pazandak Photograph Collections
• Smithsonion National Postal Museum: Overland Mail Stamp