The Roy M. Chatters
Newspaper and Printing Museum

Hours

For now, the museum is currently open by appointment only. We don’t even mind spur-of-the-moment requests. We want to share this museum as much as we can.  Please call Bob West at (509) 878-1842 or Janet Barstow at (509) 878-1742 to arrange a visit. We didn’t do all this work not to show it off !

Tours:  Group tours are welcome as well, with advanced notice. Marv Pillers, who ran Palouse's Precision Printing after his parents retired, is a wealth of first-hand knowledge about printing equipment and is available, with advance notice, for tours of the museum. His hands-on experience and love of the printing process provides a very informative and entertaining tour.

Genealogical research is also available, with a donation requested for this service. Whitman County newspapers available for research include: Endicott 1904-57, Garfield 1888-1951, LaCrosse 1910-65, Palouse 1892 to present; Rosalia 1900 to ?, St. John 1918-41, and Tekoa 1919-57.

About the Museum

The object in setting up a Newspaper and Printing Museum is to preserve as much as possible of the older equipment and methods of printing, called "letter-press printing". The museum also preserves an extensive collection of early newspapers from throughout Whitman County. In meeting these preservation objectives, a one-of-a-kind museum was established.

While all the equipment used by early-day printers is still operational, it is obsolete or unsuited to modern, offset printing practices. This equipment and the extensive collection of county newspapers provide a unique opportunity for research in letter-press printing technology and in local history.

History of the Museum

It’s appropriate that the Roy M. Chatters Newspaper and Printing Museum re-opened on Palouse Day, as it was Palouse Day 1976 when it was first dedicated to J. B. and Olga West, who donated the building for use as a museum.

Roy M. Chatters was a retired nuclear engineer from Washington State University.  There was a printing background in his family however, and when he retired, he began a quest to collect antique printing equipment with the dream of setting up a working museum. Much of this equipment would simply have ended up in the scrap metal heap, as printers began turning to safer, more efficient methods of printing. Dr. Chatters loved tinkering with his machines, and sharing them with others.

Through the years, he also acquired a vast collection of newspapers from around the country, and especially Whitman County. There is a near-complete collection of Whitman County newspapers here in the museum, covering Endicott, LaCrosse, Garfield, Tekoa, Rosalia, St. John and of course, Palouse, dating back to the 1880s. These papers are available for research, with donations requested for this service. Colfax and Pullman newspapers maintain their own archives.

The museum was open for 20 years, until the flood of 1996 caused extensive damage to the wooden floor, and it was closed for safety reasons. We are proud to present it to you once again, new and refurbished, with the same spirit of paying tribute to the printers and newspaper editors who worked so hard to bring the only news available to their readers.

Please take time to learn about the incredible process these people used to provide a newspaper or other printed material. Yet, the linotypes were still commonly used into the 1970s! It will really make you appreciate your computer next time you print off a document!

Renovation Project

Volunteers have been the mainstay of this museum from its inception. The cast of characters has changed, but the spirit continues. Part of that important spirit is that folks involved don’t do it for the recognition, but because they care. And that’s good, because the current cast doesn’t know all the names of past volunteers, in order to give them due credit. So, to everyone who has ever worked for the benefit of this museum, thank you!

Volunteers worked at the museum with Dr. Chatters for 20 years, and archived the newspapers, making them research-friendly.

A crew of folks “saved” the museum during the 1996 flood, hauling out boxes and boxes of materials, setting the equipment up on blocks, and mucking out the mess afterward. It was a daunting task.

Another crew became involved after the flood, raising awareness of the museum’s plight, rendering what repairs were possible under the existing budget. In 1999, a grant was received from the Washington State Historical Society, primarily through the efforts of Ed Garretson of the Whitman County Historical Society, and Frances Marks, Palouse native and historical society member.

And then, the renovation crew took over. Work began in earnest in January 2000. In that three years, the rotted wooden floors were removed, and replaced by concrete with radiant heat within. Lathe and plaster was removed from the walls and west side ceiling and replaced with drywall. Partitions were removed. The front wall was stabilized and windows replaced. Electrical work (still in progress) updated the system to meet code. Brick repair was made, and continues. Painting gave it new life.

As with all volunteers, they didn’t do it for fame and glory, but these folks deserve special mention because of the above-and-beyond amount of hours they gave to the project: John Sell, Butch Smith, Bob Olson, Barstow family, Bob West, Marv & Annie Pillers, Michael and Paula Echanove. There is a wonderfully huge list of folks who have helped at some point or other during the 3 ½ year renovation, and their contributions all made this day possible. A big thanks to everyone, and also, to those who supported us financially. You can all say “I helped make that museum.” Be proud!

 This renovation was done with as much volunteer help as we could, but the time came to hire some professionals. We wish to especially thank some of those who were able to donate some or all of their services: Pullman Heating and Electric (Jon Clancy, Marc Smith and Kolby Krieger), Bricks ‘n Blocks Masonry (Brian Johnson of Palouse), Joe Lynd Painting (Palouse), Nathan Vowels Painting (Princeton). We appreciate their generosity and workmanship!

We’d like to share with you our other professionals, and recommend them, along with those named above for any work you may need. David Moore Drywall was a godsend. They cheerfully took on way more than we originally asked them to do. They were such a pleasure to work with, and did a beautiful job with the drywall and other general carpentry jobs. Woltering Concrete continued to prove their reputation as one of the best, if not THE best, concrete finishers in the area. Scot Chatelain of Garfield designed the window sign and logo, and Gary Kennedy of Neon Stuff (Palouse) repaired the Oasis sign hanging in the arch. Gary Anderson of Potlatch was very easy to work with, hauling rock for the new floor and being flexible to our inexperienced schedule. Gary Hayden was our contact with Atlas Sand & Rock (formerly C & B) and again, was very cooperative and supportive of what we were trying to accomplish. Moscow-Pullman Building Supply was our main supplier of materials, giving us a discount each time. Steve Tuttle and Chris Harlan from Pullman Building Supply, on their own personal time, helped us install the windows, and along with Chris “Q” at Moscow Building Supply, used incredible patience in guiding us through what we needed to buy. Al Chidester of Arts & Crafts Book Bindery in Oakesdale, did a beautiful job on Bob and J.B. West’s books. He was very helpful and we learned a lot from him. Palouse native Chuck St. John drove over from Wenatchee  and donated a professional cleaning for our windows, and of course, was off the ladder many times to lend a strong arm and back to other activities that day.

Future Plans

The museum will continue to be a “work in progress”. We could use help in keeping the museum open one day a week (no experience necessary!) and we’d love to continue to expand the local history section. If you have photos you’d be willing to let us copy, or items you’d loan or donate related to Palouse-area history, we’d appreciate sharing them with others. 

Volunteers make it happen, and keep it happening. Want to help?

Memorials

Contributions to the Roy M. Chatters Newspaper and Printing Museum are most welcome.  A "Memorial" Board is planned to acknowledge memorial.

More Information

For more information about the Museum and its renovation, contact the Director, Janet Barstow at boomeran@palouse.com.  She can also be contacted by phone at (509) 878-1742.