USPS issued The Underground Railroad Forever stamps on March 9, 2024, in Church Creek, Maryland. The indivisible pane of 20 contains 10 portrait designs honoring people who escaped slavery or helped others escape.
Issue facts
| Issue date | March 9, 2024 |
|---|---|
| First-day city | Church Creek, Maryland |
| Postage type | First-Class Mail Forever |
| Design count | 10 |
| Official format | Indivisible pressure-sensitive pane of 20 |
| Designer | USPS art director Antonio Alcalá, using existing photographs |
The 10 people shown
- Catharine Coffin
- Frederick Douglass
- Thomas Garrett
- Laura Haviland
- Lewis Hayden
- Harriet Jacobs
- William Lambert
- Rev. Jermain Loguen
- William Still
- Harriet Tubman
How the design communicates the theme
The upper portion of each stamp uses a sepia portrait. Below it, repeated paired words—including cooperation, trust and danger, flight and faith, courage and risk, defiance and hope—frame the Underground Railroad as a network built under extreme danger. The reverse of the pane provides biographical text and a route map under the “Network to Freedom” heading.
Why the issue matters
The set does not portray a literal railroad. It recognizes individual resistance to slavery and the people and networks that helped others reach freedom. By naming 10 people rather than presenting one anonymous symbol, the pane gives readers specific historical starting points for further research.
Current postage and collecting limits
Every genuine unused design remains ordinary Forever postage. The issue’s historical importance and indivisible pane format may interest collectors, but neither proves scarcity or future value. Any valuation requires the exact format, condition and comparable completed sales.
For a wider issue directory, visit the USPS Forever stamp list.
Sources
Issue facts reviewed September 13, 2026.