Wood Type Museum Urgently Seeks Donations

The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum, which hosts the largest collection of wood type in the U.S., is being forced to move from its current location in Two Rivers, Wisconsin and is urgently seeking donations to fund the move. The museum, which is dedicated to the preservation, study, production and printing of wood type has to find a new home by February 2013. So far, over $80,000 has been raised towards a goal of $250,000.
The museum is a treasure trove of typographic history. Its collection includes 1.5 million pieces of wood type, advertising cuts from the 1930s to the 1970s, and all of the tools and equipment used in making and printing with wood type.

In the press release about the upcoming move, the museum’s director Jim Moran states, “We are definitely moving and will be staying in Two Rivers. Unfortunately, the hopes of staying in the Hamilton building are not an option. It will be an important break in continuity for Hamilton as a manufacturer going back to 1880. However, this is an opportunity to find a location where we can better protect, preserve, organize and demonstrate this enormous and valuable collection.”
Contributions may be made online at https://www.woodtype.org/support.
To learn more about Hamilton and the history of wood type from the people who made it with their own hands, check out this video: