Letterpress in Virginia City

When I learned that our friend, Stephen, was teaching an Introduction to Letterpress class, at the historic Fourth Ward School in Virginia City, Nevada, and that it fit in my very full calendar, I booked it. It was extra special that Stephen would give me a ride. What a day!

This was my second introduction to this amazing art form with the first one happening seven years ago. I was ready for another lesson. "Learn the basics of the 550+ year old art and craft of Letterpress Printing from Steve Robison, an experienced letterpress printer."

I have to admit, the location was a huge draw. Of all the times we've been to Virginia City, we had never had the opportunity to tour this magnificent testimony to successful mining. In 1876, the excited residents of Virginia City christened their new monument to education, the Fourth Ward School. Built to honor the nation’s centennial, the majestic four-story building could accommodate over 1000 students, and it boasted state-of-the-art heating, ventilation, and sanitation systems, as well as water piped to all floors.

The Territorial Enterprise* called the new Fourth Ward School “The finest structure of the kind in Nevada,” adding “If it is our pride today, the time is not far distant when it will be our glory as well.” Virginia City, at the center of the vibrant Comstock Mining District founded in 1859, suffered from serious overcrowding of its public and private schools. The community welcomed the addition of sixteen classrooms.

Students of all ages, and ethnicities, attended this new school, situated at the south end of Virginia City’s C Street. The Primary Department contained first through fourth grades. Fifth and sixth graders were enrolled in the Second Grammar Department. Eighth and ninth graders pursued their education in the Fourth Ward’s High School Department, which earned the distinction of awarding diplomas to the first students in Nevada to complete all nine grades. By 1909, the Fourth Ward’s curriculum had expanded to include instruction through the twelfth grade.

From the turn of the century through the 1920s, Fourth Ward teachers educated hundreds of students, but the declining fortunes of the mining district and diminishing population caused the student body to shrink. By the mid-1930s, less than 200 students attended the Fourth Ward School. The building was in need of repair and it seemed to be an obsolete relic from another era. When federal New Deal funding provided an opportunity to build a modern structure, the community jumped at the chance. Its last seniors graduated in 1936.

Abandoned to the elements, the Fourth Ward School seemed doomed. State grants in 1964 and 1984 rescued the structure, giving it the promise of a brighter future. A grant from the Nevada Humanities Committee funded a museum in the building, which reopened in 1986, fifty years after closing. Since that time, the Fourth Ward School Museum has received hundreds of thousands of visitors ranging from school groups to foreign tourists. With diverse programming, a changing gallery, and engaging exhibits, the Fourth Ward School has once again become a community center and a remarkable setting for those wishing to learn about the glorious past of Virginia City and the Comstock Lode. I will definitely return with other history lovers in tow.

Back to the Territorial Enterprise*. Stephen began the class with an incredible history lesson about this local newspaper and one of its most famous employees. From 1862 to 1865, Samuel Clemens wrote for this leading newspaper of Virginia City. There, his literary skills were first realized and he first used the pen name Mark Twain. The history is a lengthy one but what is extremely amazing is that much of the type archived at the Fourth Ward School came from the Territorial Enterprise. Six degrees of separation, indeed.

For those who don't know, Letterpress is a historic printing method where raised surfaces are inked and then pressed onto paper. It involves several key steps: composition (setting type), lock-up (preparing the type for printing), inking, and printing.

We were given thorough instructions, a California Job Class of a font of our choosing, and set free to compose our quote we wished to print.

How apropos that we were in the Business School classroom. The enclosed room behind we was where typing was taught. It was too loud to not be separated from the rest of the school. Wow.