ROMANCE — In the 1880s, a new White County town needed a name. The settlers were former Kentuckians, so they wanted to be called Kentucky Village. But the U.S. Post Office turned them down for fear of confusion with the state of Kentucky.
Then someone suggested a second choice, or so the story goes. The alternative was inspired by a shaded nearby spring that attracted young couples meeting to woo, maybe to hug and kiss. The idea clicked, which is why a flood of sealed and stamped Valentine's Day cards pours early each February into the Romance Post Office.
"I believe we're the only town in the world named Romance, and that's quite a distinction," says John Parham, postmaster of the office, which serves about 400 scattered addresses. "So we take a lot of pleasure in putting the Romance stamp on Valentine's cards and wedding invitations."
The Natural State's Romance is definitely the only entry on the U.S. Postal Service's online list of 37 postmarks nationwide that evoke Valentine's Day. They run alphabetically from two towns called Bliss (in Idaho and New York) to three named Venus (in Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas). Also listed for Florida is the punderful Kissimmee.
Romance's ties with Valentine's Day go back at least a half-century. Its stature as a love-linked post office was spotlighted back in 1990 when it was chosen by the Postal Service as the location for the initial issuing of that year's Love Stamp. Among dignitaries present for the ceremony was U.S. Sen. David Pryor.
In 2020, just before the covid-19 pandemic took hold, the Romance cancellation stamp was applied to an estimated 12,000 Valentine's cards. The number fell by about half in 2021 but is increasing this year.
Most cancellation requests come from Arkansans. But some are sent from elsewhere in the United States. A few have shown up from abroad, including a letter mailed last year from Japan. It was sent by 84-year-old Shintarau Aoki, who began with the greeting "Konnichiwa!" ("Hello!").
Aoki wrote, "I am very interested in all kinds of postmarks. Would you do me a great favor." She sent along several U.S. stamps to pay for the return postage. According to Parham, "That may be the farthest we've ever sent back our special stamp."
A special cancellation graces Valentines Day cards mailed from Romance. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Marcia Schnedler) Parham was familiar with the cancellation process well before he became postmaster in 2015. He had the postmark stamped in 2007 on the roughly 200 wedding invitations mailed by his wife-to-be, Kristen.
"A lot of people told us they thought the stamping was neat," he says. "It was a conversation piece at the reception. I send Kristen a Valentine each year with the Romance stamp. It's a personal touch that has become a family tradition."
Romance Post Office
- Address: 292 Arkansas 31, Romance, AR 72136.
- Hours: 8 a.m. to noon Monday-Friday and 7:30-10 a.m. Saturday
- Information: (501) 556-5911. Also available at the Rose Bud Post Office, (501) 556-5126. The U.S. Postal Service website is usps.com.
- Romance cancellation: Cards intended for Romance cancellation should be placed in sealed envelopes bearing first-class stamps. They can be dropped during office hours, but should not be put into the outdoor collection box. They also can be mailed in a larger envelope to: Valentine’s Day Postmark, 292 Arkansas 31, Romance, AR 72136.