Collections

Washington Hand Press

Washington Hand Press - Press, Printing
Accession #: 4110.1
Title: Washington Hand Press
Object Type: Press, Printing
Participants:
Physical Description: Washington Hand Press made by Cincinnati Type Foundry and Printing Machine Works.
Description: The Washington Hand Press was a style popular from 1825 into the early 1900s. Easily disassembled for moving, it could print 2,000 sheets per day. Following the disastrous 1889 Spokane fire, publisher William Knight borrowed a press like this to publish the next day's Spokane Chronicle newspaper. Before the days of texting, twitter and email, the Inland Northwest relied on a fairly reliable mail and news communication system developed in the region. Newcomers needed to connect with loved ones back home. Businesses depended on multiple mail deliveries daily. Newspapers connected residents with the outside world, and businesses eventually could count on multiple deliveries daily. Spokane's first post office opened on July 5, 1872, and by 1900 smaller regional towns had their own post offices. A rural delivery system became effective nationwide by 1902. Sources: HistoryLink.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, "Transportation and Communication in Seattle in 1900" (James R. Warren), http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=1668 (accessed June 2010). "Rural Free Delivery." United States Postal Service. United States Postal Service, May 2007. Web. 26 Aug. 2010.
Category: History
Subjects/Topics/Concepts:
Publication (Communication)
Geographical Reference: Cincinnati (National->Ohio)
Dimensions:
Object H x W x L 75 x 34 x 75 1/2"
Materials/Techniques:
machined steel
leather (Material)
wood (Material)
canvas (Material)
paint (Material)
brass (Material)
cast iron (Material)
Marks/Inscription:
"Washington Press"; "Cincinnati Type Foundry and Printing Machine Works." Logo composed of capital C and capital T superimposed. A third character possibly "C" or "&" also superimposed in center of logo, considerably smaller than the "C" and "T".
Related Exhibits:
Credit Line: Found in Collections, 1993

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