| OREGON CORRECTIONS ENTERPRISES DONATES ANTIQUE PRINTING PRESS TO OREGON TRAIL REGIONAL MUSEUM |
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Posted: March 13th, 2006 4:45 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 9, 2006
Contact: Perrin Damon, 503-945-0925
Renie Hunter, 541-523-9544
Oregon Corrections Enterprises Donates Antique Printing Press to Oregon Trail Regional Museum
At a presentation open to the public, Oregon Department of Corrections Director Max Williams will unveil an antique Chandler and Price printing press that is being donated by Oregon Corrections Enterprises to the Oregon Trail Regional Museum on Thursday, March 16, 2006 at 10:00 a.m.
The Craftsman Model 10" x 15" handfed, platen press is estimated to have been manufactured between 1916 and 1925. This model press, known as the "jobber," was the work horse of the printing industry from the late 1880s through the 1930s. Although the history of the printing press is vague, it is believed to have been originally purchased by a printing company in Baker City or the surrounding area. The press may have been part of a local newspaper's equipment.
Inmates at Powder River Correctional Facility in Baker City refurbished the press in the late 1990s. It was then moved to a printing facility in the Salem area operated by Oregon Corrections Enterprises. The cabinet holding the original lead type came to Corrections with the press, leading researchers to believe that the press and cabinet were purchased together.
"We believe the aesthetic and historical value of this printing press would be best appreciated by the community from which it came," said Corrections Director Max Williams. "We are excited to share a piece of our joint history with the community, especially one as supportive as Baker County."
The department delivered the press to the Oregon Trail Regional Museum in late January. Since then, inmates from Powder River have been working to refurbish the platform to which the press is bolted, as well as designing a plaque to accompany its display.
Members of the Oregon Trail Regional Museum Commission, the Powder River Prison Advisory Council, and Baker County representatives will be in attendance for the unveiling of the press. Refreshments will be served following the presentation.
Oregon Corrections Enterprises (OCE) is a semi-independent state agency created in the Oregon Constitution to partner with the Oregon Department of Corrections to provide meaningful work skills and job training to inmates.
OCE is self-supporting and not funded by tax dollars. It provides inmates with quality training and work skills to prepare them to succeed in the workplace once they are released. Using structured work and training programs under the supervision of skilled civilian craftspeople, incarcerated men and women work in industrial shop settings similar to those found in the private sector. They learn trades including printing, GIS mapping, furniture and cabinet manufacturing, garment making, metal trades, laundry, sign making, and telecommunications.
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