Hail Columbia/ Royal Columbian Press -- Davis, CA
Posted by: 
sbcamper
N 38° 32.224 W 121° 44.595
10S E 609531 N 4266154
The Putah Creek Printing press stands in the basement of Shields Library at the UCD campus. It is an interesting juxtaposition to the many computer terminals at the library. Last in California! Plus 150 years in age makes it a very special antique!
Waymark Code: WMETAP
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 07/05/2012
Views: 3
This 25 inch x 20 inch platen printing press was used by the Tamelpais Press in Berkeley (Roger Levenson) and later used by the Putah Creek Press in Davis. It was donated to the UCD library in 1968. The series of compound levers made it cost prohibitive to operate. The FIRST ONE was built by Thomas Lenz of Edinburg, Scotland about 1832-1850. Others says it was invented by George Clymer of Philadelphia, who died in 1813 or 1834 and may have sold the rights to it. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the first Quaker in the British parliament.
Typesetting disappeared about 1980? This press was made obsolete by more efficient equipment. It was labor intensive and difficult to operate. Only antiquarians can appreciate that this one in California and three others (Nevada, British Columbia, and New Zealand) have survived. Only a university with room to display such an object could preserve one. Imagine trying to pack and reassemble such a beast? What do you do with one when the parts are no longer available and one breaks!
Can you document something that was printed by either of the above operators? Perhaps a dinner program or short run of something?
With all of the cranks and levers, perhaps someone adapted parts for their cider press? I don't think cast iron is recycled. It just rusts away, perhaps used for anchors. The next antique should be the non electric typewriter. Kids today and tomorrow won't be able to imagine wearing out or bending a key, having to reink a ribbon, etc. Imagine things that worked without batteries or electricity!