DOMINIC SAMA | Stamps U.S. Postal Service adds a new lighthouse set

On Friday, the U.S. Postal Service resumed its series of lighthouse commemoratives with five stamps depicting classic lighthouses along the Southeastern coast.
The five are: Old Cape Henry at Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Va.; Cape Lookout at Cape Lookout National Seashore near Beaufort, N.C.; Morris Island at the entrance of the Charleston, S.C.; harbor, Tybee Island east of Savannah, Ga.; and Hillsboro Inlet at Pompano Beach, Fla.
The Postal Service inaugurated the five-stamp format in 1990 with 25-cent commemoratives of lighthouses from across the nation. In 1995, it issues five 32-cent stamps of lighthouses on the Great Lakes.
Started in '70
Single stamps depicting lighthouses had been issued beginning in 1970 with a six-cent commemorative that recalled the 150th anniversary of Maine's statehood.
Old Cape Henry began guiding ships in the southern mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in 1792. It is owned by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities.
Cape Lookout began operations in 1859. Like many lighthouses, it was automated in the 1950s and still is operated by the Coast Guard.
Morris Island started in 1876, on the site of a lighthouse that was established in 1767 but destroyed during the Civil War. Like many lighthouses, Morris Island is leased to a nonprofit preservation group; South Carolina owns it but leases it to Save the Light Inc.
Tybee was erected in 1773 and still is operational. Last year, the U.S. Coast Guard transferred ownership to the Tybee Island Historical Society.
Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse was built in Detroit under government contract, shipped in parts to Pompano Beach and reassembled and activated in 1907.
First-day requests should be sent to Southeastern Lighthouse Stamps, Postmaster, 102 South Campbell Ave., Tybee Island, Ga., 31328-9991.
Honoring Hepburn
The Postal Service issued a 37-cent commemorative Wednesday honoring the late actress Audrey Hepburn. Though the stamp continues the Legends of Hollywood Series of commemoratives, Hepburn also is being remembered for her humanitarian work with children.
The Belgian-born Hepburn (1929-93) earned the best-actress Academy Award in 1953 for her performance in "Roman Holiday. In 1988, she was named goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and parlayed her celebrity to promote attention on the plight of children around the world.
In 1992, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
First-day requests should be sent to Audrey Hepburn Stamp, Postmaster, 7001 S. Central Ave., Room 338, Los Angeles, Calif., 90052-9991.
Information on the stamps is available on www.usps.com.
Knight Ridder Tribune