In 1945, as New Glarus quietly marked the 100th anniversary of its founding amid wartime constraints and national uncertainty, a small piece of paper carried a big message far beyond Green County. It looked like a postage stamp, traveled on letters across the country, and proudly announced the village’s Swiss roots — yet it was never a real U.S. postage stamp at all.

The label many longtime residents still remember was a commemorative centennial stamp produced locally to mark the village’s founding in 1845. Philatelists would call it a “cinderella stamp” — a decorative label not issued by the U.S. Post Office. But in New Glarus, it served a deeper purpose: celebrating heritage, raising funds, and signaling continuity at the end of World War II.