Washington Press, circa 1848
Add to SetSummary
This peripatetic press was used to print newspapers in the 19th-century American West. Washington hand presses were rugged and extremely popular; this one crossed the Isthmus of Panama on its way from New Orleans to California's gold fields. In 1851, the press's owner, John Judson Ames, started San Diego's first newspaper. The press also printed newspapers in San Bernardino and Independence, California, and in Aurora, Nevada.
This peripatetic press was used to print newspapers in the 19th-century American West. Washington hand presses were rugged and extremely popular; this one crossed the Isthmus of Panama on its way from New Orleans to California's gold fields. In 1851, the press's owner, John Judson Ames, started San Diego's first newspaper. The press also printed newspapers in San Bernardino and Independence, California, and in Aurora, Nevada.
Artifact
Printing press
Date Made
circa 1848
Creators
Place of Creation
United States, New York, New York
Creator Notes
Made by R. Hoe & Company in New York, New York. Patented by Samuel Rust.
Keywords
United States, California, Inyo county, Independence
United States, California, San Bernardino
United States, California, San Diego
United States, Louisiana, Baton Rouge
Dime catcher (Baton Rouge, La. : 1848)
Esmeralda star (Aurora, Nev. : 1862)
Inyo independent (Independence, Calif. : 1870)
San Bernardino herald (San Bernardino, Calif. : 1860)
San Bernardino patriot (San Bernardino, Calif. : 1861)
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
28.753.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Cast iron
Iron (Metal)
Wood (Plant material)
Dimensions
Height: 70 in
Width: 50 in
Length: 84 in
Inscriptions
front: WASHINGTON PRESS / R. HOE & CO. / NEW-YORK / NO. 2327
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