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With perfect weather, a crowd of over 300
gathered to hear the Washington High School
Band play patriotic music. At 4 PM Wisconsin
Governor Tommy Thompson arrived to speak
and cut the ribbon, officially opening the
first wood type museum in America. J. Michael
Brown, President of Fisher Hamilton presented
the Governor with a desk name display made
out of wood type.
Housed on the first floor of a Hamilton
building constructed in 1926, the display
area covers over 15,000 square feet.
An impressive sign depicting a case of
wood type was designed four feet high and
extends ninety three feet across the front
of the building. A twelve foot draw pull
is centered over the front entrance. Letters
sitting on the edge of the case spell out
h w t & p m! in reverse of course, and
Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum
on the draw pull.
Designed by Gold Seal Graphics of Appleton,
Wisconsin, the sign along with six logo
flags will guarantee anyone driving down
Jefferson Street that a museum is housed
in the Hamilton building.
Upon entering the museum the public was
greeted by a picture of the Hamilton Crew
of 1882. Photographically enlarged 4100
times from the original picture, it is eight
feet high and twenty feet wide.
One side of the museum is filled with operating
equipment used in the manufacture of wood
type. Beginning with logs cut in six foot
lengths and then in half, each display progressively
follows the process of making wood type.
The Pantograph, run by Mardell Doubek, one
of the few experienced operators still around,
captured the attention of many. Air operated
and turning at over 50,000 rpm, she was
still able to produce two letters each minute,
enough to make her rate.
On the opposite side of the Museum is an
eighty five foot wall display of patterns
used in making wood type. From Goudy Bold
to Cheltingham and Hebrew the display ends
with borders and corners. One cabinet includes
25 cases of different borders and corners.
Over 1,000 different styles and sizes of
patterns are housed in cabinet after cabinet
of drawers and on shelves in storage. Over
1.5 million pieces of wood type consisting
of the Nancy Nealy Typecraft collection,
the Leo Kaplan collection and others is
displayed on slanted shelves and ranges
from 1/4 inch to 48 inches.
A wall of type extending eight feet high
and 115 feet long includes the names of
people who donated to this museum. The names
are in 1 1/4 inch new type cut in the reverse.
Items manufactured in the Hamilton plant
over the years range from the first gas
clothes dryer made in 1937 to a fume hood
made in 1999.
Printing presses along with steel and wood
type are located in a separate 4,000 square
foot room. The print room includes a working
1916 linotype model 7 machine.
Plans are already underway to expand the
printing section of the museum and to make
the wood type collection available to students,
graphic artist and others who may want to
spend time here.
For additional museum information
please contact:
James E. Van Lanen Sr.
1-920-794-6272
hwt@woodtype.org
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