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The Grand Rapids Press ➔ Newspaper Dispenser
Identifier:
2012.2.1.4Description:
This newspaper dispenser, the Sho-Rack, was manufactured by Kaspar Wire Works of Shiner, Texas, and used by the Grand Rapids Press. Dispensers such as these were coin-operated and, after a coin was inserted, the door would unlock to allow the purchaser to open it and take their newspaper. Many companies competed to create the best newspaper dispenser but they often had too many faults to be worthwhile. Common problems were malfunctions, customers taking multiple papers instead of one, and newsboys damaging the machines by shoving rocks in the coin slot.This newspaper dispenser is part of the Grand Rapids Press Archival Collection #239 which consists of bound newspaper volumes, historical photographs, company history, alphabetically indexed files of clippings, printed photographs, and negatives, as well as equipment related to newspaper printing.
Date:
circa 1950Materials:
MetalCurrent Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 2Source:
Gift of the Grand Rapids PressRelated Entities:
Grand Rapids Press (donor)Alternate names: Evening Press, Evening Press and Leader
The history of the Grand Rapids Press began in 1890 when William J. Sproat published the first issue of Morning Press. In 1892, George G. Booth purchased both the Morning Press and the Grand Rapids Evening Leader and in December of that year, the Evening Press and Leader was formed by joining the two papers. In early 1893, the name was shortened to the Evening Press and was used until 1913 when the name changed to the Grand Rapids Press. The Grand Rapids Herald merged with the Press in 1959.
The Grand Rapids Press had five locations in the West Michigan area prior to moving production to Ohio in 2020. The first was at 63 Pearl Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan on the second floor of the Metropolitan building. These offices were used by the Press from 1890 to 1892 until they moved to offices on the southeast end of the Pearl Street Bridge. This location, often referred to as the "by the bridge" location, was the first to include a printing press owned by the newspaper. After a remodel in 1893 due to a spring flood, the tanbark gymnasium, dedicated as the Newsboys Assembly Hall in 1894, was built for the newsboys after their original space became home to a second printing press. In 1906 the Evening Press moved to the corner of Fulton and Sheldon in Grand Rapids, Michigan to accommodate the growth of the business. Built specifically for the Press, the building was designed by Albert Kahn and consisted of four floors including an auditorium on the top floor and a pool in the basement. The Press stayed at this location until 1966 when they moved to a new, larger facility at 155 Michigan Street in Grand Rapids. They stayed at this facility until a move to Walker, Michigan in 2004. This was the final Michigan location of the Press prior to moving production out of state in 2020.
The Grand Rapids Press is part of Booth Newspapers, a media company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Formed in 1914 by brothers George G. Booth, Ralph H. Booth, and Edmund W. Booth, it owned The Bay City Times, The Flint Journal, The Grand Rapids Press, Jackson Citizen Patriot, Kalamazoo Gazette, Muskegon Chronicle, The Saginaw News, and Advance Newspapers. Kaspar Wire Works (creator)
Located in Shiner, Texas
Related Object:
Related Places:
Grand RapidsShiner