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The Press of Progress: Uncovering an Antique Printing Press with Charlotte County Libraries and History

Authored by Ashley S. Guerzo

This antique printing press built in 1878 stands as a testament to the persistence of human will and progress in Charlotte County, Florida.

Thought to originate from the Punta Gorda Herald, a weekly newspaper established in 1893, this antique cast iron printing press was discovered in a small print shop attached to a locally owned variety store on Marion Avenue in Punta Gorda, Florida. Run by a local unsung hero, affectionately called Joe “Mr. Fix-it” Smith, the printing press was used to create letterheads, envelopes, and business cards until 1955 when William Lewis Kennedy, a prominent community figure remembered for installing the town’s first traffic light and wiring numerous homes and businesses including the original Herald news building, purchased the store and adjoining shop (Kennedy Electric Services, n.d.). Kennedy later combined the two spaces into Kennedy Electric Services (still in service today). The store’s previous owner, Kirby Seward, had been founder and publisher of the Herald until 1901 (Larkin 2001). After discovering the press in a storage container, Kennedy’s wife, Adele, donated the artifact to the Florida Adventure Museum in 1998.

Today, a search for information pertaining to the press in its current condition would yield frustrating results. Bereft of some of its key pieces, the press no longer resembles its original appearance. The wheel, foot treadle, and circular ink plate distinguish it as a Golding Pearl Model, and its slender base (standing at approximately five feet seven inches) indicates a later “Improved” model released for a short time in 1878, which touted an amalgamation of the best features of the previous Official model and the newer Pearl’s coveted ease (Perennial Designs 2010). Operated by spinning the wheel and pumping the foot treadle, the wheel’s mechanism worked the frame holding the typeset mold and two ink rollers (not pictured), while the foot treadle rotated the circular plate an eighth of an inch with each pump to evenly distribute the ink on the typeset molds (Hancock 2013).

Golding was one of America’s premier press builders, and the Pearl was considered the fastest and best handset letter printer of its day, marketed as an amateur printing tool small enough to fit in one’s home and efficient enough to boost one’s business (Perennial Designs 2010). Given that this particular model was released in 1878 (predating the Herald in 1893), it is not a stretch of the imagination to assume Seward kept his personal press when he handed over the reins of the Herald in 1901 and used it to promote his new business.

The Punta Gorda Herald (now called the Charlotte-Sun Herald), one of the first major accomplishments of the town’s early years, is still in existence today more than 100 years later (O’Phelan and Shively 2009). As with the Herald, this historic artifact stands as a testament to the persistence of human will and progress having survived some of the most significant disasters in Charlotte County’s history including a devastating fire that destroyed the original Herald building in 1895 and the decimation left in the wake of Hurricane Charley in 2004. Throughout the years, this small but mighty press has served the citizens of Punta Gorda in meaningful ways, reporting on the news, celebrating joys and triumphs, and offering words of comfort and strength in hard times (Peeples 1986). Today, the press is on display for public appreciation at the Punta Gorda Charlotte Library. Surrounded by memorabilia containing the colorful history of Charlotte County, it reflects the rustic beauty and the undaunted spirit of old Punta Gorda, a town built by the strong, capable hands of a people willing to carve a life through the unforgiving swamps and marshlands of Southwest Florida.

References

Hancock, Emily. 2013. “Letterpress Printing on the Golding Pearl.” Filmed December 24, 2013 at St. Brigid Press, Blue Ridge, VA.Video, :47. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4-bUPFhKjI.

Kennedy Electric Services. n.d. “History of Kennedy Electric.” Accessed February 25, 2021. https://www.kennedyelectricservices.com/history.html.

Larkin, Angie. 2001. In Old Punta Gorda. Punta Gorda: Old Punta Gorda Publishing.  

O’Phelan, Ann M. & Shively, Scot. 2009. Images of America: Punta Gorda. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing.

Peeples, Vernon. 1986. Abstracts from the Punta Gorda Herald 1917-1977. Port Charlotte: Charlotte County Libraries and History.

Perennial Designs. 2010. “1900 Golding and Co. Catalog.” Accessed March 5, 2021. http://www.perennialdesigns.net/?page_id=1216.