The Hammond Typewriter Company

The life of James Hammond has slowly revealed its secrets, but few details have been more elusive than those surrounding his stay at the Wylie Sanitarium in 1907. In court records, numerous lawyers, alienists, and doctors referred to it as “Mrs. Wylie’s Sanitarium” at 246 West 76th St, but looking at city directories it was […]

Queen Elisabeth of Romania, who was also a prolific author of poetry under the penname “Carmen Sylva.” Born Pauline Elisabeth Ottilie Luise of Wied on December 29th, 1843 she was the first queen of Romania, and wife of King Carol I. She was said to be very skilled s a musician, and painter, but her […]

The Manuals page has been updated to include manuals for both the Hammond No. 2 and No. 12 machines. More will be added as time permits. The Shuttles page has been updated to include Hammond Typewriter shuttle guides for 1914, 1915, 1917, and 1920, along with two shuttle reference guides. A Parts and Supplies section […]

President Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States from 1913 – 1921, owned several Hammond typewriters both as President of the United States, and President of Princeton University. Wilson was intrigued by typewriters and he enjoyed using them, purchasing a Caligraph No. 2 in 1883. After eight years, however, he desired a change in […]

I received these photos from my contact at the archives. This is the original patent for 267,367 issued to John Pratt on November 14, 1882, folded and bound up in the national archives. No one has probably seen these pages in over 100 years. Over several days the archivist will carefully place each document within […]

John and Sarah Scheible owned a farm in New Jersey and took in boarders who wanted to say for the summer. Sarah was born in New Jersey while her husband was from Germany, unfortunately that’s all I could find out about them. A regular tenant, it seems, wanted to confirm it was still ok to […]

Cataloging and scanning Hammond Typewriter Company ephemera, using a Hammond Multiplex typewriter, while sitting at a desk made by the Hammond Typewriter Company.

This receipt for a Hammond 1 purchased on August 16th, 1888 appears to have gotten a little wet, but thanks to technology we can zoom in and make out its serial number. Whenever I come across a serial number I compare it to my database of serials and current owners. For the first time I […]

The Hammond Typewriter Company utilized no less than 5 paper rest designs, each time becoming sturdier and heavier, but less elegant. With the Hammond 1 and 2 the paper simply “rested” against a rod, or it could be tucked under to “stay” in place. The first design is considered the most aesthetically pleasing by collectors, […]

The Hammond Typewriter Company changed their ribbon spools several times. In the beginning, the company employed the use of a celluloid ring with a hollow center reinforced with a brass collar. The ribbon attached to the center column by means of a C-shaped metal clip, and a new ribbon was typically purchased loose and affixed […]