The release date of a postage stamp bearing the image of the historic Tamaqua train station will be celebrated March 9.

The 6 p.m. event is open to the public and will be held - appropriately - at the 1874 passenger depot.

The United States Postal Service announced in October that the station was one of five selected from around the country for a stamp. All are examples of stations that continue to contribute to the community. the USPS said.

“Noteworthy railroad stations began brightening the American landscape by the 1870s and, although many were torn down once they had outlived their original purpose, hundreds survived,” the USPS said upon announcing its selection.

Other stations that will be featured on stamps include Point of Rocks Station in Maryland; Main Street Station in Richmond, Virginia; Santa Fe Station in San Bernardino, California; and Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Jim McKean, a USPS spokesman, called the station “an architectural gem that continues to play an important role in the community.”

The Tamaqua SOS Save Our Station is organizing the celebratory event, and noted that there will be new stamp merchandise available at the station’s gift shop along with a 7 p.m. toast ceremony.

Tamaqua SOS was responsible for saving the once blighted depot from demolition and spearheading a $1.5 million revitalization that was supported by the Tamaqua borough and area civic groups.

The depot serves as a visitors’ center for Schuylkill County and the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area. It includes a restaurant and functions as the boarding site for train excursions to and from the borough.

In its peak years in the first half of the 20th century, more than 40 passenger trains stopped in Tamaqua daily.