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The Two Rivers Historical Society will open
a new museum on May 28th, in an adaptive
reuse of a 25,000 square foot section of
a 1926 Hamilton factory: "The Hamilton
Wood Type And Printing Museum."
The museum makes available a massive collection
of 19th and 20th century wood type and printing
technology. The exhibits also include machines
that produced early hot metal type, hand
operated printing presses, artisans essential
tools, and rare type specimen catalogs that
are more than one hundred years old.
"But, the real treasure here are our living ones."
says Jim Van Lanen, "We have benefitted
from the life experiences of the many people
who actually made the exquisitely detailed
wood type from rough hewn maple trees: the
wood workers, letter carvers, and former
employees of the Hamilton Company who still
reside in Two Rivers. These people are in
their seventies and eighties; they showed
us - from memory - how the type workshop
really operated. These people showed us
the old secrets that make these extraordinarily
beautiful and distinctively American style
of alphabet."
The Hamilton Company began producing type in
1880 and within twenty years became the
largest provider in the United States. During
that time, as the waves of immigrants helped
build the United States, news and public
information was made visible in the many
styles of wood type. "When people see wood
type they often remember the classic 'Wanted:
Dead or Alive' poster," says Van Lanen,
"but if you discover the other printed items
of our nations graphic history you will
find wood type on simple booklets, packaging,
and classic circus posters. In almost every
historical society collection across this
country you will find printed documents
and posters that help illustrate how people
of that community communicated with each
other. Whether it was the sale of horses
or land, important community meeting or
political rallies: wood type expressed the
message of that day."
Even today there is still a warm affection and
great curiosity for wood type. Learning
to look at it takes a sensitive eye. Comparably,
in the past few decades the public has become
increasingly aware of historic styles of
residential buildings in their own communities,
the manner and style of letters can be thought
of in a like way. Moreover, type characters
are like characters in dramatic theater.
They have personality, presence, and voice
- like people, the face reveals character
- perhaps that's why they are called typefaces.
In 1998 the museum acquired the Nancy Nealy
Type Craft collection. Nancy and her husband
Irving Silverman spent forty six years collecting
wood type and poster letters. Numbering
over a million pieces, in many different
styles of fonts, most of it will be on display.
The museum is laid out to serve as a fully functional
workshop as well as illustrate the sequence
of making wood type. "We will be able to
cut historic wood type from original patterns
and print it here, too." All of the original
machines are arranged in a line in the huge
exhibit hall. Visitors are guided through
eight sequential steps in making type. On
the opposite wall are two massive rows of
cabinets which store more than one-half
million original type pattern designs in
different forms and sizes. Visitors are
provided with direct, hands-on experiences
in carving, designing and printing with
wood type.
Educational resources will be provided for school groups
which allow young children to participate
in simple printing and graphic activities.
More advanced skills and projects are welcomed
and expected to be initiated by public groups
and individuals, college and schools.
Artist-in-residence programs will provide printing facilities
for designers to use the collection of type
to create new graphic designs and limited
editions for collectors.
Programs which train people to use the printing presses
provide vocational education resources to
the community and other not-for-profit organizations.
During the past five years, with the vision of
Jim Van Lanen, the collection of wood type,
original patterns that the wood blocks were
modeled from, and the special, one of a
kind machines that made that wood type have
been identified, selected, gathered, and
organized into the largest, most compressive
collection of wood type and the graphic
arts in the United States. With definitive
items that the Smithsonian Institute and
European Museums have sought to acquire,
the collection, established this new museum
as one of the premiere collections of the
graphic arts in the world.
The Two Rivers area, and the Hamilton company,
have a very unique history of invention
and productivity, entrepreneurial instinct
and craftsmanship. We want to make more
evident the achievements of our community
and the contribution it's people and products
have made on the nation. Other Hamilton
products are also on display in the new
museum, such as the first residential gas
dryer for the home Circa 1937.
For additional museum information
please contact:
James E. Van Lanen Sr.
1-920-794-6272
hwt@woodtype.org
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