Dement Printing Company facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Dement Printing Company
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Dement Printing Company in 2009
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 Location in Mississippi
Location in the United States
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| Location | 2002 6th St, Meridian, Mississippi |
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| Built | 1909 |
| MPS | Meridian MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 79003387 |
| Added to NRHP | December 18, 1979 |
The Dement Printing Company is a very old printing business in Meridian, Mississippi. It started way back in 1875. The building where the company works today was built in 1909. This building is so special that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
For many years, the Dement family owned and ran the company. But in 2016, two sisters from the area, Melissa Love and Sara Love, bought the business. They now run a store called Generations Fine Paper and Gifts at the Dement Printing location.
Contents
How the Company Started
The Dement family was involved in printing even before the Dement Printing Company officially began in 1875. The first Dement to learn printing was James Prentiss Dement. He started learning the trade in 1831.
James's son, John Joseph Dement, was the one who officially started the Dement Printing Company. He opened it in 1875 in a building called the Lockhard Building. John's brother, Charles Pinckney Dement, also worked there. He was listed as a "book and job printer" in 1882. Charles and his son, James Washington Dement, also started Meridian's only daily newspaper, The Meridian Star, in 1898.
Later, John Joseph's son, John Vance Dement, took over the business. He moved the company to a new spot. John Vance worked with his brother, Frank Eugene Dement, and one other helper. They moved the business again in 1900 to 2315 4th Street. The company grew a lot during the seven years it was at this location. They hired more people and got more printing machines.
The Company Building
By 1909, the Dement Printing Company had grown so much that the Dement family decided to build their own special building. This building is located at 2002 6th Street. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The building is interesting because it mixes old-style fancy designs with a factory look. It's a two-story brick building that sits on a triangle-shaped piece of land, which gives it a very unusual shape. The main door is at a cut-off corner where two streets meet. Above the main door, you can see the company's name and the year it was built carved into the building.
The building has been changed several times over the years. New areas were added for offices, a room for setting type, a room for presses, a room for offset printing, and a room for binding books. At its busiest time, the company used almost the entire block. It had 70 employees, making it one of the biggest printing companies in Mississippi.
Later Generations of the Family
In 1913, Frank Dement sold his part of the business to his brother, John Vance, and moved away. After John Vance passed away in 1949, his children took over the company. All seven of his children worked in the business at some point.
John Ernest Dement, who is John Vance's grandson, took over the company in 1974. His wife, Judy, and their children, Corey and Scott, also helped with the business. Corey and Scott were the fifth generation of the Dement family to be involved in the company. Scott Bancroft took over in 2016.
In 2000, Dement Printing opened another shop called Generations Fine Paper and Gifts. In 2016, this part of the business was sold to the two local sisters, Melissa Love and Sara Love.
What the Company Prints
Over its long history, Dement Printing Company has made many different products. Around the early 1900s, when the business was on 4th Street, they printed things like letterheads (paper with a company's name on it), envelopes, bills, circulars (like flyers), and order forms.
During World War II, Dement Printing Company got a big order to print carbon paper for an air base in Alabama. They also printed blueprints (special plans) for the Air Base at Key Field in Meridian. Other things the company has offered include binding books, ruling lines on paper, lithographing (a type of printing), photostating (making copies), and rubber stamps.
When computers made it easier for people to print at home, Dement Printing and many other printing businesses saw fewer sales. The company went from having 70 employees to 22. To deal with this change, the company created the "Generations" department. This department prints things like wedding invitations, picture books, and baby pictures. The company also started selling office supplies and renting out parts of its building to other businesses.
See also
- Dement House, a Mississippi Landmark
