Port Republic

Private collection Mike Anderson: Random Press, 1420 Waters Court, Port Republic, MD 20676

[This press was for sale in 2015 for 30.000 USD. It might have been sold and moved to a new owner.]

“The press was made in 1987 for Mr. Tim Roschy of Maryland for use in a 17th Century Printing Booth in the Maryland Renaissance Festival at Crownsville, Maryland. Mr. Roschy’s plan for the booth was cut short by circumstances beyond his control. The press was dismantled and stored in a metal barn on Eastern Shore, Maryland. Mike Anderson purchased this press in 2003 and moved it to his shop in Port Republic, Maryland. It has remained in the shop since. The wood used in the construction is oak. The stone is marble set in the coffin on a bed of marble dust. The platen is Honduras Mahogany. All metal and iron work are made in according to the plans in THE COMMON PRESS.

The maker of the press worked for the Smithsonian’s Exhibits Central at 1111 North Capitol, Washington. D.C. He made it on his own time, in his own shop using lumber from a 200+ year old barn in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. The builder followed the plans for the press as presented in THE COMMON PRESS by Harris & Sisson, 1978. The plans are based on the Ben Franklin press held in the Smithsonian.”