Over the next year and a half, the Museum of Printing is celebrating the start of the American Revolution (April 19, 1775) and the signing of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) with a series of talks and workshops, including some that are sponsored by a grant from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT).
Preparations began with the arrival in February of an authentic replica of an English Common Press, courtesy of our friend Gary Gregory, proprietor of the Printing Office of Edes & Gill. The English Common Press is a wooden hand-press that was used for printing in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was the first press that came to America. It was the press that printed the pamphlets, broadsides, and newspapers that energized the revolution and the press that printed the Declaration of Independence. The printing press helped create America and this kind of press is an extremely important part of our history.
This replica will be used to print copies of the Declaration of Independence for Museum of Printing visitors. It is only one of two operational wooden presses in New England. This is the same press that was in the lobby of our previous building in North Andover, Massachusetts. Most recently it has resided at Old North Church in Boston where it was seen by thousands of visitors over the years at the Printing Office of Edes & Gill.
The grant received from MOTT has allowed us to offer four free events to Museum visitors. The first of those has already taken place on March 15th. Entitled “Wood Type Use, History, & Identification” it was led by lecture/workshop led by James Grieshaber of Virgin Wood Type in Rochester, New York. Three more events will follow:
• Printing Paul Revere – On Saturday May 10th between 11 am and 3 pm, Andy Volpe will be printing some of his Paul Revere replica copperplates, including his latest 250th commemorative print project: 3 Promissory Notes (paper money) that Revere secretly engraved & printed for the Massachusetts patriots in May 1775. He will have some other prints, plates, tools and other visuals to discuss the work of Revere leading up to the American Revolution.
• Trumpeters of Sedition: How the Printing Press Created a Revolution! On Saturday May 17th at 1 pm, Gary Gregory, proprietor of the Printing Office of Edes & Gill, will talk about the role of the printing press in the American Revolution. Printed pamphlets, broadsides, and newspapers energized the revolution, and it was the printing press that produced the Declaration of Independence. Gary will use his replica of an English Common Press, a wooden hand-press that now resides at the Museum of Printing, to demonstrate the technology in use at the time of the American Revolution.
• Happy Accident Broadsides – On Saturday May 24th at 1 pm, letterpress artist Mitch Cohen and Museum of Printing Director Operations Mitch Ahern will lead the Happy Accident Broadsides workshop. A broadside is a single sheet of paper (often large) that is printed on one side only for purposes such as the announcements or posters that were such an important means of communication during the American Revolution.
The MOTT grant is part of the Massachusetts 250 (MA250) initiative, the name for Massachusetts’ celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. It is part of a series entitled “Revolution: Then and Now.” The Museum of Printing is delighted to have been chosen as a partner in this endeavor.
In addition to the events sponsored by the MOTT grant, the Museum of Printing will be hosting multiple events related to the anniversary. Two of these have already occurred. The first was Andy Volpe’s March 15th lecture and demonstration entitled “Re-Engraving Paul Revere’s Boston Massacre.” Volpe described how he replicated Paul Revere’s famous print, “The Bloody Massacre as perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5, 1770 by the 29th Regt.” using the same methods as Revere. Then on April 5th, Museum of Printing President Frank Romano gave a lecture entitled “Printing and the American Revolution” in which he told the story of the newspapers and pamphlets that influenced public opinion and created America. Attendees received a free booklet: “Printing Created America.” Romano will repeat this lecture on Saturday July 5th at 1 pm. Please visit the Museum and join us for upcoming events as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. While you are here, pick up your own copy of the Declaration of Independence.
The Museum of Printing is dedicated to preserving the history of printing, graphic arts, and typography while showcasing their continuing influence on our culture. The Museum is located at 15 Thornton Avenue in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
Boston Massacre print, Andy Volpe
