The first Disney USPS postage stamp was the commemorative honoring Walt Disney in September 1968. This was very unusual, as Walt had passed away less than 2 years earlier. Usually, an individual had to be dead for 5-10 years before they would even be considered for a commemorative stamp. But, because of his impact on the world, and the unrelenting pressure from politicians and Disney fans, the Postal Service created the stamp and it was release right here in Marceline – Walt’s hometown.
Walt Disney, the one-time Missouri farm boy who for more than a quarter of a century created fantasies that made a troubled world laugh, died Thursday, December 15, 1966 at 9:35 am in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Burbank, CA, just across the street from Walt Disney Studio.
Marceline was effectively built by the Santa Fe Railroad by purchasing land from area farmers and plotting what would become the Missouri Division Point for the Santa Fe Railway. The first lot was sold on January 28, 1888. There were five stores by February 1888, and on March 6, 1888 the Linn County Court incorporated the City of Marceline and appointed A. D. Reynolds as Mayor. The population has fluxuated from more than 5,000 people, to under 2,000.