PRINTING HISTORY CAME TO LIFE AT THE 2025 HERITAGE MAKERS' MARKET

Hamilton staff and volunteers helped bring history to life as part of this year's Heritage Makers' Market. 

Organized by the Manitowoc County Historical Society and held at their Pinecrest Village property, the two-day Heritage Makers' Market offered an array of skilled artisans demonstrating various Wisconsin folk life traditions. 

Hamilton representatives were printing in the Pinecrest Village Print Shop building on both days of the Makers’ Market, equipped with a tiny press, ink, plenty of wood type, and customizable pre-printed posters.

Our four customizable posters each had a phrase that needed to be completed:

  • “Happiness is a day spent …”
  • “I am ...”
  • “I believe in ...”
  • “Stay ...

Each visitor had the opportunity to hand-set their “complete-the-phrase” word or words in wood type.

Then, their “wood type word” was inked up and printed to produce a personalized “make and take” poster. 

Printing Heritage Makers’ Market visitors was a great time! We loved sharing and connecting through the fun of letterpress printing.

Bringing letterpress printing outside of the museum is at the heart of our mission to preserve history for creative use today.

A big ‘thank you’ to the Manitowoc County Historical Society, Pinecrest Village, and everyone who came out to print with us; we hope you had fun too.  

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