Fort Dearborn was massacred in 1812, burned, and abandoned during a British-allied attack that killed dozens of settlers. The fort was rebuilt, the settlement grew, and a century later, Chicago celebrated its founding with a World's Fair and this stamp.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #728

• Denomination: 1 cent (1¢)

• Date of Issue: May 25, 1933

• Printing Method: Rotary Press, Engraved (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 10½ × 11

• Color: Yellow Green

• Subject: Restoration of Fort Dearborn, Chicago — Century of Progress commemorative, 1833-1933

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Fine

• Postmark: Heavy black cancellation consisting of broad horizontal strokes across the central design and lower inscriptions.

• Obverse: Margins present on all sides though the design is slightly shifted and not perfectly balanced. The fort design and principal inscriptions including "CHICAGO CENTURY OF PROGRESS 1833-1933" remain identifiable.

• Reverse: No original gum present, as expected for a used stamp. Light paper aging with no obvious large thins or tears.

• Centering / Margins: Fine. Slightly off-center. Perforations intact on all sides.

• Perforations: Generally intact with some minor wear and irregularities typical of postally used stamps removed from paper.

HISTORY

Fort Dearborn was established by the U.S. Army in 1803 at the mouth of the Chicago River on Lake Michigan, part of a network of frontier forts extending American military presence into the Northwest Territory. On August 15, 1812, following the outbreak of the War of 1812, the garrison evacuated the fort under orders. During the evacuation, Potawatomi warriors allied with the British attacked the column, killing approximately 52 soldiers and settlers in what became known as the Fort Dearborn Massacre. The fort was burned and abandoned.

The fort was rebuilt in 1816, and the settlement around it grew steadily. Chicago was incorporated as a town in 1833, exactly one hundred years before this stamp was issued. The Century of Progress World's Fair, which opened in Chicago on May 27, 1933, celebrated that centennial with exhibitions attended by nearly 50 million visitors across two seasons. The Post Office Department issued Scott #728 two days before the fair opened, as part of a two-stamp commemorative set alongside Scott #729.

The design depicts the Restoration of Fort Dearborn — a reconstruction of the original stockade built in the 1920s as a historical attraction — framed by the inscription marking the 1833 to 1933 centennial.

STEVEN SAYS

The fort got burned in 1812, rebuilt in 1816, and the city around it became Chicago. A hundred years later they threw a World's Fair. The stamp came out two days before the fair opened. That's a clean sequence from frontier massacre to world's fair in one image.