American Building - printing, publishing, and press

Image Above: American Building- Downtown Brattleboro- early 1900's, A National Historic Place, part of the Brattleboro Historic District

About

The American Building was built in 1906 and is part of Brattleboro’s Historic Main Street District. During initial construction, an annex was built on the east end with a reinforced top floor designed to house printing presses. The immediate occupants were The Reformer, a weekly newspaper, and the Vermont Printing Company, known as Vermont Print. These two entities were partnered by Ephraim Crane and Howard Rice. Twenty-five years later Vermont Print expanded into publishing with the formation of the Stephen Daye Press. The business name honored the first printer in the British Colonies, Stephen Daye.

Over the years the three businesses enjoyed success as Brattleboro gained the reputation as a print town. The Brattleboro Reformer became a daily newspaper in 1913. Vermont Print became the largest employer in town in the 1960s. The Stephen Daye Press was a well-known imprint focusing on New England Lifestyle. It was at the leading edge of regional publishing.

Research & Production

Audio Production: Sally Seymour

Narration: John R. Hooper

Ongoing Development and Involvement:

As a community-created project, we encourage ongoing dialogue, questions, and engagement. If you would like to be involved in future developments, have information or a perspective that could deepen others' understanding of this topic, please contact us: we want to hear from you.