2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26106323D

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 57

Offered February 19, 2026

Commending the Smithfield Post Office.

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Patron—Jordan

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WHEREAS, the Smithfield Post Office, one of the oldest continuously operating branches of the United States Postal Service, hosted a special event unveiling a commemorative stamp celebrating the agency's 250th anniversary in 2025; and

WHEREAS, Smithfield was the site of one of the first 60 post offices created after the Continental Congress named Benjamin Franklin as the nation's first postmaster general on July 26, 1775; and

WHEREAS, according to historical researchers, George Purdie was appointed as the postmaster of Smithfield after the Revolutionary War, and the Smithfield Post Office was founded on July 5, 1783; and

WHEREAS, the original Smithfield Post Office building was most likely located near the Smithfield Inn, only a few blocks from its current Main Street location, which was constructed in 1941; and

WHEREAS, while the Smithfield Post Office has grown and adapted to significant advancements in technology, growth in the community, and the changing needs of its customers, it has always upheld its duties to provide local residents with reliable, affordable, and universal mail services; and

WHEREAS, in 2025, the Smithfield Post Office was chosen to host a commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Postal Service by unveiling a special pane of stamps, which features an interconnected bird's-eye view of a mail carrier's route through a town designed by a cartoonist from Chicago, Illinois, and graphic designer Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That the Smithfield Post Office hereby be commended for its history of service to the residents of Smithfield on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the United States Postal Service; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Kevin Bryant, the postmaster of Smithfield, as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for the Smithfield Post Office's long legacy of contributions to the Smithfield community.