This will make you wonder if there’s a competition between the Potomac Heritage Trail and the Hudson River Valley Heritage Area to have the most Passport cancellations: In December 2009, Potomac Heritage placed an order for 16 new stamps! This brings the trail’s total to 38, reaching across three regions of the Passport program (Mid-Atlantic, National Capital and Southeast).

I’ll work on putting together a list with all of the street addresses. In the meantime, you can download a one-sheet posted by the trail’s staff, with all of the location listed. It’s here.

Welcome to the Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail! The trail follows the development of several major events during the Chesapeake Campaign of the War of 1812. Trail management has provided the following list of five Passport stamping locations:

Chesapeake Bay Office
National Park Service
410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109
Annapolis, MD 21403
410-267-5660
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
Visitor Center
2400 East Fort Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21230
410-962-4290
Fort Washington Park Visitor Center
13551 Fort Washington Road
Fort Washington, Maryland 20744
301-763-4600
Tangier History Museum and Interpretive Cultural Center
16215 Main Ridge Road
Tangier, VA 23440
302-234-1660
White House Visitor Center
1450 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20230
202-208-1631

©Bert Gildart:  Here at Pegleg (located in California’s Anza Borrego Desert State Park), Janie and I experienced another downpour of torrential rains, which  started yesterday about 3 in the afternoon. For over an hour, rain fell in buckets. When the rains did cease about an hour later, we went outside to survey the results, [...]

This will make you wonder if there’s a competition between the Potomac Heritage Trail and the Hudson River Valley Heritage Area to have the most Passport cancellations: In December 2009, Potomac Heritage placed an order for 16 new stamps! This brings the trail’s total to 38, reaching across three regions of the Passport program (Mid-Atlantic, National Capital and Southeast).

I’ll work on putting together a list with all of the street addresses. In the meantime, you can download a one-sheet posted by the trail’s staff, with all of the location listed. It’s here.

Check at the Cumberland Gap Visitor Center in Middlesboro for the new 50th Anniversary stamp, which was ordered in April 2009. This is probably a short-time cancellation, as the park was dedicated in July 1959—but if you don’t see it, ask for it when you visit. Sometimes “retired” stamps remain in drawers at information desks for many years.

I can’t wait to go to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and collect all nine cancellations at this historic site! In addition to the seven listed in the Passport Companion Guide, two more have been added:

San Juan National Historic Site/Castillo San Cristobal
San Juan National Historic Site/El Morro

If you’ve been to San Juan in the last few months, or if you’re planning to go, please let me know what you find there! The reports vary with the person I talk to—I’ve been told there are as few as two stamps and as many as five.

The Trail of Tears published an updated list of stamping locations on its website at http://www.nps.gov/trte/planyourvisit/passport-program.htm. Here’s the complete list as of October 27, 2009; check back there for updates, as administrators say they’re looking into creating site-specific stamps in addition to the state stamps they have now.
Note that many of these cancellation stations are already in the Southeast Region volume of the Passport Companion Guides. I’ve highlighted the changes in red below.

ARKANSAS
Arkansas Post National Historic Site
The entrance to the park is on AR169, nine miles south of Gillett, via US165 (The Great River Road), and about 20 miles northeast of Dumas, via US165.
www.nps.gov/arpo/ 
Mailing address: 1741 Old Post Road, Gillett, AR 72055
Phone: 870-548-2207
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Fort Smith NHS is located at 301 Parker Avenue, Fort Smith, AR 72901. From Interstate 40 Eastbound: Exit at Roland, and drive six miles on highway 64 to downtown Fort Smith. From Interstate 40 Westbound & from North I 540 & Fayetteville, take Interstate 40 westbound to I 540 south. Exit west on Rogers Ave. and continue to downtown.
www.nps.gov/fosm/index.htm
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1406, Fort Smith, AR 72902
Phone: 479-783-3961
Lake Dardanelle State Park
Lake Dardanelle State Park is located at 100 State Park Drive in Russellville, Pope County. The park is located at 2428 Marina Road, which is four miles west of Russellville, off State Highway 326.
www.arkansasstateparks.com/lakedardanelle/
Mailing address: 100 State Park Drive, Russellville, AR 72802
Phone: 479-967-5516
Pea Ridge National Military Park

The park is located at 15930 E Highway 62, Garfield, AR 72732. Depending on your starting point, take AR/72/MO 37/I-540 to the US 62 exit and follow signs to the park.
www.nps.gov/peri/ 
Mailing Address: E Highway 62, Garfield, AR 72732
Phone: 479-451-8122
Trail of Tears Association National Office
Call or write for directions to get the passport stamp.
www.nationaltota.org/
Mailing address: 1100 North University, Suite 143, Little Rock, AR 72207
Phone: 501-666-9032
GEORGIA
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
The park is located one mile from the intersection of Battlefield Parkway and Lafayette Road. Go one mile on Lafayette Road to the park entrance and visitor center.
www.nps.gov/chch/index.htm
Mailing address: P.O. Box 2128, Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia 30742 
Phone (706) 866-9241
Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home
Located at 501 Riverside Parkway in Rome, Georgia.
www.chieftainsmuseum.org/
Mailing address: P.O. Box 373, Rome, GA 30162-0373
Phone: 706-291-9494
New Echota State Historic Site
Located in Calhoun one mile east of I-75 exit #317 on Ga. Hwy. 225.
www.gastateparks.org/NewEchota/
Mailing address: 1211 Chatworth Highway NE, Calhoun, GA 30701
Phone: 706-624-1321
Vann House Historic Site

Located three miles west of Chatsworth at the intersection of Ga. Hwys. 225 and 52-A at 82 Ga. Highway 225 N.
www.gastateparks.org/info/chiefvann/
Mailing address: 82 Ga. Highway 225 N, Chatsworth, GA 30705
Phone: 706-695-2598
ILLINOIS
Trail of Tears State Forest
Please call or write for more information.
dnr.state.il.us/Lands/landmgt/parks/R5/TRLTEARS.HTM
Mailing address: 3240 State Forest Road, Jonesboro, Union County.
Phone: (618) 833-4910
KENTUCKY
Trail of Tears Commemorative Park
Trail of Tears Commemorative Park, at U.S. Highway 41 and Skyline Drive in Hopkinsville, Christian County.
www.trailoftears.org/
Heritage Center address: 100 Trail of Tears Drive, Hopkinsville, KY 42240
Phone: 270-886-8033
MISSOURI

Mark Twain National Forest
Please call or write for directions.
www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/marktwain/ 
Mailing address: 401 Fairgrounds Road, Rolla, MO 65401
Phone: 573-364-4621
Trail of Tears State Park - Visitor Center/Moccasin Springs Road/Nancy Hildebrand’s Gravesite
Trail of Tears State Park, at 429 Moccasin Springs Road, Jackson. The park is on Missouri Route 177 about eight miles north of Cape Girardeau, and eight miles east of Jackson.
www.mostateparks.com/trailoftears.htm
Mailing address: 429 Moccasin Springs Road, Jackson, MO 63755
Phone: 573-290-5268
NEW MEXICO
National Trails Intermountain Region – Santa Fe
The office is located in the Old Santa Fe Trail Building at 1100 Old Santa Fe Trail.
Email us
Mailing address: P.O. Box 728, Santa Fe, NM, 87504-0728
Phone: 505-988-6842
NORTH CAROLINA
Cherokee County Historical Museum
Located next to the Cherokee County Courthouse at 87 Peachtree Street in Murphy, NC.
www.cherokeecounty-nc.gov/departments/museum/
Mailing address: 87 Peachtree St., Murphy, NC 28906
Phone: 828-837-6792
Junaluska Memorial and Museum
Located at 1 Junalaska Road, Robbinsville, NC 28771. Call or write for more information.
www.junaluska.com/
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1547, Robbinsville, NC 28771
Phone: 828-479-4727
Museum of the Cherokee Indian
Travel along Hwy. 441 N/Tsali Boulevard. Proceed to the intersection of Hwy. 441/Tsali Boulevard and Drama Road. The museum will be at 589 Tsali Boulevard.
www.cherokeemuseum.org/
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1599, Cherokee NC 28719
Phone: 828-497-3481
OKLAHOMA
Cherokee Heritage Center
Located six miles south of downtown Tahlequah at 21192 S. Keeler Drive, Park Hill, OK 74451. Take highway 62 to historical Park Hill, turn east on Willis Road, follow Willis Road to South Keeler Drive.
www.cherokeeheritage.org/
Mailing address: P.O. Box 515, Tahlequah, OK 74465-0515
Phone: 918-456-6007, 888-999-6007
George M. Murrell Home
The George M. Murrell House is at 19479 E. Murrell Home Road, in Park Hill, 1 mile southeast of the junction of state highways 62 and 82, and 4 miles southwest of Tahlequah.
www.okhistory.org/outreach/homes/geomurrell.html 
Mailing address: George M. Murrell Home, 19479 E. Murrell Home Rd., Park Hill, OK 74451-2001
Phone: 918.456.2751
TENNESSEE
Audubon Acres
This preserve is located at 900 North Sanctuary Road in East Brainerd, which is a suburb of Chattanooga. From I-75, take Exit 3A to E. Brainerd Road – East. At the second traffic light, turn right onto Gunbarrel Road. Follow Gunbarrel Road as it becomes North Sanctuary Road until it reaches the dead end at Audubon Acres – a distance of about two miles from E. Brainerd Road.
www.chattanoogaaudubon.org
Mailing address: Chattanooga Audubon Society, P.O. Box 21219, Chattanooga, TN 37424
Phone number: 423-892-1499
Blythe Ferry
Please call or write for more information about visiting and getting the stamp.
www.cherokeeheritagetrails.org/redclay_places.html
Mailing address: Meigs County Executive's Office, P.O. Box 156, Decatur, TN 37322
Phone: 423-334-5850
Chattanooga Regional History Museum
The Chattanooga Regional History Museum is located in downtown Chattanooga, at 400 Chestnut Street, which is at the corner of 4th and Chestnut streets.
chattanoogahistory.org/
Mailing address: 615 Lindsay Street, Suites 100 & 200, Chattanooga, TN 37403
Phone: 423- 265-3247
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
There are three entrances to the park. (Note from RSM:The stamp is at the Sugarlands Visitor Center desk.) Directions
www.nps.gov/grsm/
Mailing address: 107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Phone: 865-436-1200
Red Clay State Historic Area
The park’s address is 1140 Red Clay Park Road SW near Cleveland in Bradley County. It is along the Tennessee-Georgia state line about 17 miles east of Chattanooga.
www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/RedClay/
Mailing address: 1140 Red Clay Park, Cleveland , TN 37311
Phone: 423-478-0339
Sequoyah Birthplace Museum
The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum is located 576 State Highway 360, which is approximately one mile east of Vonore.
www.sequoyahmuseum.org/
Mailing address: P.O. Box 69, 576 HWY 360, Vonore, TN 37885
Phone: 423-884-6246
(Note from RSM: The stamps at the Hermitage Mansion, Lookout Mountain Battlefield and Shiloh National Military Park appear to have been discontinued.)

Stone’s River National Battlefield
Travel from I-24 to Exit 76 and turn onto Medical Center Parkway. Turn onto Thompson Lane. Turn just before the Thompson Lane bridge, onto the access road to Old Nashville Highway. Turn left at the stop sign onto Old Nashville Highway. The park entrance is about 1/4 mile away on the left.
www.nps.gov/stri/
Mailing address: 3501 Old Nashville Highway, Murfreesboro, TN 37129
Phone: 615-893-9501
Tennessee River Museum

495 Main St., Savannah. Museum is at the corner of Main St. (U.S. 64) and Adams St., just a few blocks east of the Tennessee River Bridge.
www.tourhardincounty.org/
Mailing Address: 495 Main St., Savannah, TN 38372
Phone: 800-552-3866

Perhaps for the sake of expediency, the John H. Chaffee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor chose to foreshorten its name when its original Passport cancellations were ordered many years ago. In the fall of 2008, in a quest for more accurate nomenclature, the NHC has replaced its cancellations with new ones that say this:

JHC Blackstone River Valley NHC/RI & MA

Will this cancellation change bring you back to Rhode Island to pick up the new stamps? If so, I’d love to hear from you—you’re a collector after my own heart. Drop me a line at author@minetor.com and tell me about your travels!

As if the expert talks and demonstrations given by the dedicated rangers at Wright Brothers National Memorial were not enough of an attraction for repeat visitors, the park ordered a modification of their cancellation in June 2008. The new stamp says:

Wright Brothers NM/Kill Devil Hills

Check your collection: The old one read:

Wright Bros. Nat’l Memorial/Kill Devil Hills, NC

No word on if the old cancellation (as well as the 2003 centennial cancellation) are still available at the park, but it’s a good bet that they are not. (That won’t stop the most passionate Passport fans from asking, of course. You never know!)

Acadia National Park already had 17 stamps, including one at Sieur de Monts Nature Center in the park—but that one was a generic, “Bar Harbor, ME” stamp, so it was time for Sieur de Monts to get its own name on the cancellation at the information desk.

We haven’t been back to Acadia since August 2007, but I have it on good authority that the stamp says:
Acadia National Park/Sieur de Monts Nature Center