Purgatory Post commemorates Bedell Bridge, Bunker Hill
June seems to have been a rather quiet month in the world of local posts, which is probably to be expected. Some folks travel during the summer, and with longer daylight hours, others simply spend more time outside than on stamps; however, one local post that has been active in terms of releasing new stamps over the past month is Purgatory Post.
On June 10, the New Hampshire-based local post issued a 26-sola stamp picturing the Bedell Covered Bridge, which spanned the Connecticut River between Haverhill, New Hampshire, and Newbury, Vermont. The bridge was built in 1866.
The Bedell Bridge was closed to traffic in 1958, but a committee later raised $250,000 to rebuild the bridge, which was rededicated in July 1979. Unfortunately, the structure was demolished by a windstorm later that year, and the bridge was never rebuilt.
On June 18, Purgatory Post issued a 10-sola stamp commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The vignette reproduces part of John Trumbull’s The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
British forces won the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775, but not until colonial forces had repelled them twice. It was only after the colonists exhausted their supply of ammunition that they retreated, leaving the hills around Boston under British control.