Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-01-05
BY BELMONT FAIRIES
star Stamp Editor

H~s Ot~"b @1ttSt
The Rocky Run Local Post
celebrated Christmas this
year with O new red and
green Santa Claus label. car
rying some $40 first-day
covers on December 81.
Proprietor Of the service.
which speeds mail from the
area south Of chantilly. Va.
is Lewis Leigh. jr.. l9-year-
old sophomore at VPI.
Rocky Run is a small
stream near the Manassas
battlefield. Farms in the area
have a Chantilly mail adj
dress but are served by a
Herndon carrier. The local
post moves letters a full day
ahead Of the regular service
by delivering them TO Chan
lilly in the afternoon in time
TO be placed on the Harrison
burg Washington Highway
Post once truck at 8 pm.
For this service young
Leigh charges S cents. Most
OF his customers are stamp
collectors and postal history
enthusiasts who find a pres
ent-day local post an in
teresting anachronism.
Private delivery services
and expresses fiourished in
the United States from the
l84os to the 1906. carrying
letters cheaper and faster
than the Post once could or
providing services not other
wise available. They we're
finally suppressed under reg
ulatory legislation designed
to protect the Post Once De-
partment's mail-carrying mo-
nopoly.
The handful of local posts
operated in recent years do
not compete with the Gov
eminent but offer an adolf
tional service for a fee. Oldest
Of the lot seems to be the
Shrub Oak IN. " Post OPP
Grated since 1852 by Herman
Herst. the stamp dealer.
This years Santa Claus
label is the seventh used by
the Rocky Run post since it
began operations in 1855.
The first issue of 1000 i'm
perforate labels with the in
scription Rocky Run Local
Post" was printed in black on
white paper by the Horder
Co. Of Chicago. Eighty-three
first day covers were carried
on January 8. 1855.
Supplies were exhausted
during the late spring and
about so PROFESSIONALS were
made adding IS Cents Paid"
and the manuscript initials
IL. L. Later the same pro-
cedure was used directly on
the envelope.
The second issue Of 1000
with the inscription changed
to Rocky Run Dispatch" was
printed by Horder in green
on white paper. There were
439 first-day covers on July
Is. 1855.
The third issue of 1000 in
the same design was printed
in green on yellow paper.
There were 500 first-day COW
ers on February /. 1856.
The fourth issue OF 1000
was printed in red on white
paper. There were SIC first
day covers on May IL. 1856.
The fifth issue of 1850
was printed in blue on white
paper. There were All first
day covers on July IA. 1856.
The sixth issue Of 1000
labels of the same design
but in a smaller formal was
printed by the Blacksburg
Printing Co. in black on yell
low paper in sheets of 40
which were perforated. There
were about 400 frst-day
covers on June Is. 1857.
The seventh issue. the new
Santa Claus design. was
printed by the Eveready Label
Co. of Belleview. N. j. The
order was for 5000 in rou-
Ietted rolls of 1000. in red
and green on white paper. The
first day was scheduled for
December Is but the labels
were late in arriving and the
$40 covers were carried TO
Chantilly on December 81.
Although the Rocky Run
Posts proprietor is back at
his agriculture economies
studies at VPI arrangements
have been made TO take care
OF late requests for holiday
covers. STAN ped. self
addressed envelopes with re-
mittances Of 5 cents may be
addressed TO Lewis Leigh. jr..
RID No. /. Chantilly, Va.
Ralph Davis Retires
Ralph Davis. veteran super
visor Of flrst-day covers for
the Post once Department.
retired last week with a let
ter Of appreciation from
Postmaster General Sum-
merfield for his SO years Of
Government service. His last
assignment was the Flushing
Remonstrance first-day sale
In New York.
A collector himself and
currently vice president of