letterpress roadtrip
i am planning a roadtrip dedicated to letterpress. flying into cincinnati, ohio then driving up to wisconsin to check out the hamilton wood type museum and hopefully get into a workshop etc… etc…
any recommendations out there of historic stops or letterpress wastelands to scavenge, throughout: ohio, indiana, illinois and wisconsin?
my first time posting, i just thought this was a good hub of folks to inquire amongst with a similar passion and hopefully some wonders to share.
I don’t know if you intend on visiting Northeast Ohio, but at the Bedford historical Society they have a small working letterpress exhibit. The man who shows the exhibit is Lester Pratt. The phone number to the histoical society is 440-232-0796. If you find your way into the Cleveland area it is a nice display.
Updated. Kelly, thanks for introducing the Bedford Historical Society. I’ve added a listing for their print shop to the Printer’s Yellow Pages.
Frenetic, I don’t know much about the area you’ll be exploring, but browsing the Printer's Yellow Pages might turn up some good stops. You can use the location menus to limit by state. Browsing in Ohio, for instance, I found print shop exhibits at Carillon Historical Park in Dayton and Ohio Village in Columbus. (Be sure to check their web sites before going to make sure the printing exhibits are still open.)
http://www.briarpress.org/yellowpages/browse?s=OH
there’s lots of letterpress sites of interest in kentucky, if that interests you - i can elaborate
-alex
press eight seventeen, lexington kentucky
Hi, David Churchman is in Indi. He sells letterpress items and he’s in the classifieds. There’s also a great paper store near by. Chicago has some nice press and the the Paper Source. Ohio Village is not in use, But Roscoe Village’s is working in Ohio.
My dad has a lot of inventory - probably some of the stuff you are searching for!
Call: Al Meers in Chicago at: (773) 227-8442. Good Luck! ——Anita
thanks for all the ideas so far… my trip is open to anything (in the spring) so keep it coming. ps: yes, i am definately excavating briarpress for the great tips, that already exist, too.
Paul Aken runs the Platen Press Museum in Zion, Illinois (not far from the Illinois/Wisconsin border). He has a great collection and a website www.iconnect.net/home/platenpress/. I had a great visit there, and hope to go back soon. He has a sale every April as well, since your trip is in the spring.
I would highly recommened going to see Paul Aken’s print Museum. He has table top presses, lino-type, and ones that you have to stop with your hand. By the way when is your trip? I was wondering if you could pick up some inforamtion at you visit each place?
what i truly want to schedule the dates around is a workshop at the hamilton wood type museum but they have yet to get one scheduled. so… i am just collecting all the info i can till then. but yes, i hope to photograph and blog about each destination and let’s say, i’ll post a link to my roadtrip blog on briarpress for anyone interested in jumping in. let me know if there is anything in particular you were hoping to find out/get. [email protected]
If you contact Gregory Corrigan at the Hamilton museum in advance, and convince them you know what you’re doing, I don’t think you need to have taken a workshop to print there.
Of course, if you want to take a workshop there, go for it. I did it. It was awesome. That place is amazing.