Crandall Museum

So, last week I got a chance to go to a really interesting off-campus museum. I have gone to most of the on-campus ones, but this was really exciting, since it was "far away." Not that is was really far, but the Crandall Museum is on Center Street in Provo. And I don't have a car. Hence, it's normally way too far for me. My friend Ben drove Ari and I though, so all was good.

Being a bit of a history geek, I really enjoyed watching the development of printing. We started in Gutenburg's time. They had this MASSIVE press and showed us how to use it. They even cast a piece of type. It cooled crazy fast! They poured in burning hot printers' metal into the cast, and almost instantly it was solid.

The second room was probably my favorite. It was shown to us by Ben Franklin. He told us his history. How he became a printer, his love story with his wife, and many of his contributions. As I've said before, I love seeing the story of the people behind history. This was a great insight into who Ben Franklin, the grandfather of our country.

On top of hearing Ben Franklin’s history, we learned a bit about the physical process the Constitution and Declaration of Independence underwent. The Declaration was written, edited, reworked, ratified, and then signed. Then, it was rushed to the printer’s, late at night. By morning, several copies had been printed and were distributed throughout the colonies. The speed of the process was astounding. Plus, it was all done in secrecy. When we had been told this story, we were told to touch the type set that was in the press. It was type set molded from the same punches that formed the original letters for the first printing of the Declaration of Independence. To touch something that close to history was moving and exciting.

Our final stop on the tour was in a room the same size and shape as that in which the first copies of the Book of Mormon were printed. The room contained a pres s that was an exact replica of that original press for the Book of Mormon. It was really cool. We had seen how the presses had gotten smaller and more precise, but other than that, this press was basically the same as that which Guttenburg had invented. We looked at the type for the first few pages, and saw stacks of pages, 2,000 high, just as they would have been when the original printing happened. We even got to see how the books were bound.

At the end, we got to see a linotype machine and the ink rollers that replaced the old fashioned beaters. Those were both cool. The rollers were what I usually imagined when I thought of old-fashioned presses. The linotype machine was also awesome. It was like a massive, old type writer. Except, instead of putting words on paper, it put words on metal! That was super crazy.

The entire experience was wonderful. It made me happy to know that they are going to expand, and then have all the missionaries in the MTC come through the tour. I think it’s a worthwhile experience that all students who have the chance should take. I would not hesitate if I had another chance to visit. The one drawback is that it cost a ton if you don’t go with a group. So find a group, and have fun!