Last Thursday, I had the great opportunity to visit the Crandall Printing Museum on Center Street in Provo. Despite having lived in Provo throughout my life, I had only visited this little gem of a museum once back when I was in seventh grade. Walking into it, I immediately felt at home as Brother Crandall and those who work there were so kind and obviously passionate about their work. They truly brought history to life in this museum.
To begin the tour, we were ushered into a room containing a replica of Gutenberg’s printing press. We were given a short history lesson about how records were kept during the dark ages in monasteries. Afterwards, we were taught about Gutenberg and his press. The most amazing thing to me was just how many complicated tools had to be invented in order for him to be able to print books. Leaving, there was no doubt in my mind that this man had been inspired by the Lord to create a means that the scriptures and words of the Lord could go to all people.
After, we were taken into a small room which had a replica of Benjamin Franklin’s press. In this room, we discussed the importance of the written word in the founding of America. Without the printing press, America would not have been the one country in the world which had sufficient freedom to allow the gospel to be restored. I believe that the printing press was part of the preparation Brigham Young was talking about when he said,“We believe that the Lord has been preparing that when he should bring forth his work, that, when the set time should fully come, there might be a place upon his footstool where sufficient liberty of conscience should exist, that his Saints might dwell in peace under the broad panoply of constitutional law and equal rights.” America was a land of liberty, and the reasons for that can be traced back to the liberty of conscience and thought that it fostered through such things as the written word and the accessibility of the word of God.
From here then, we moved into a room which had a replica of the Grandin printing press. This press was the one that printed the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. In this room, we learned of the miraculous circumstances of a printing press and book binder being in Palmyra, New York just long enough to facilitate the printing of this book of scripture. It loved having the opportunity to learn a little more about how the Book of Mormon was printed. It was quite fascinating and inspiring.
I truly believe that the Lord had a hand in the history of the printing press, and that was strengthened as I visited the Crandall printing museum. I hope that many more people will also have the great opportunity to visit this museum and gain a better understanding of the rich history of the written word and its importance in the gospel.
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