CONCORD, Mass. — The U.S. Postal Service, in collaboration with the U.S. National Park Service, held a ceremony on April 16, 2025, at Minute Man National Historical Park to dedicate its new Battlefields of the American Revolution stamps. The event marked the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, honoring key battlefields where American independence was forged.
The stamps commemorate five pivotal battles of the Revolutionary War: Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown. Each stamp features a photograph of a historic site paired with a watercolor illustration of a significant moment from the respective battle. The ceremony, hosted at the site of the war’s opening battle, underscored the historical significance of these locations as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026.
“These stamps celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation and pay tribute to the heroes who fought and sacrificed for American independence,” said Judy de Torok, the Postal Service’s corporate affairs vice president, who served as the stamps’ dedicating official. “We are proud to partner with the National Park Service to commemorate and honor the enduring legacy of these historic battlefields.”
Simone Monteleone, superintendent of Minute Man National Historical Park, highlighted the event’s importance. “The National Park Service is honored to host the U.S. Postal Service’s first-day-of-issue ceremony for the Battlefields of the American Revolution stamps,” Monteleone said. “Having the ceremony at the site of the opening battle of the American Revolution provides another opportunity for visitors to participate in the 250th anniversary.”
The ceremony featured several notable participants, including Paul O’Shaughnessy, master of ceremonies and board president of Friends of Minute Man National Park; Kerry Lafleur, Concord town manager; Steve Bartha, Lexington town manager; Lt. Col. Geoffrey Love, Massachusetts National Guard historical services director; Donald Hafner, historian and former Boston College professor; Liza Stearns, National Parks of Boston deputy superintendent; and Lauren Roberts, Saratoga County historian and chair of the Saratoga 250th American Revolution Commission.
The stamp pane, designed by USPS art director Derry Noyes, consists of 15 Forever stamps arranged in five rows, each dedicated to one battle. The Battle of Lexington and Concord stamp shows the Old North Bridge alongside an illustration of American militia retaking it on April 19, 1775. The Bunker Hill stamp features the Bunker Hill Monument and an illustration of the British assault on Breed’s Hill on June 17, 1775. The Trenton stamp includes a photo of the Old Barracks Museum and an illustration of George Washington’s Delaware River crossing before the December 26, 1776, battle. The Saratoga stamp depicts British Lt. Gen. John Burgoyne’s surrender on October 17, 1777, with a photo of a British howitzer replica. The Yorktown stamp shows reconstructed British redoubts and the formal surrender on October 19, 1781.
The stamps aim to encourage public visits to preserved Revolutionary War sites, many of which are maintained as national or state parks. The National Park Service notes that these locations, including Minute Man and Saratoga National Historical Parks, offer educational programs and reenactments to engage visitors in the nation’s founding history.
The selvage of the stamp pane includes the battles’ names and dates, along with an excerpt from Thomas Paine’s “The American Crisis,” published in December 1776 to bolster Colonial morale. The stamps, illustrated by Greg Harlin with photographs by Jon Bilous, Richard Lewis, Tom Morris, Gregory J. Parker, and Kevin Stewart, are Forever stamps, always equal to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce rate.
Social media updates about the stamps are being shared with the hashtag #BattlefieldsStamps. The Postal Service hopes the stamps will inspire reflection on the sacrifices made for independence and the enduring legacy of the Revolutionary War.
