{"product_id":"1962-homestead-act-4-beatrice-ne-first-day-cover","title":"1962 Homestead Act 4¢ Beatrice, NE First Day Cover","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis 1962 4¢ Homestead Act First Day Cover features an Art Craft cachet and was postmarked in Beatrice, Nebraska on May 20, 1962, the official first day of issue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe stamp commemorates the centennial of the Homestead Act of 1862, landmark legislation that granted 160 acres of public land to settlers who improved and lived on it for five years, fundamentally shaping westward expansion and American agriculture in the 19th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cachet highlights Daniel Freeman, recognized as the first homesteader, with his portrait and a drawing of his Nebraska cabin; Beatrice was chosen for the ceremony because Freeman filed the very first claim there on January 1, 1863.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cover is addressed to Stewart G. Delbert, M.D. in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a common destination for mid-century FDCs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA clean, well-centered example ideal for collectors of U.S. postal history or westward-expansion topicals.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Maple Springs","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51388301213860,"sku":null,"price":4.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0580\/4713\/5908\/files\/20260623081404.jpg?v=1782230820","url":"https:\/\/maplespringsllc.com\/products\/1962-homestead-act-4-beatrice-ne-first-day-cover","provider":"Maple Springs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}