The acorn shaped 1826 Union Press is one of several gems that the Museum received from Jeff Craemer in 2010. This press is the only surviving example of its kind. It was restored by Smithsonian in the 1980s when it was lent to them for an exhibition.  

The brass plate on the front of press summarizes just about everything we know of the press. It reads: UNION PRESS No. 40, Manufactured by E. BARTHOLOMEW for Greele & Willis, Boston, 1826.  There are no patent records for this machine, so its origin is somewhat speculative. Samuel Greele and Henry Willis owned the New England Type Foundry in 1928 and likely acted as salesmen for the press. While the primary role of a type foundry was, as the name suggests, to manufacture type, it was common practice for them to sell presses and other equipment for printers as well. E. BARTHOLOMEW refers to the Connecticut inventor and machinist, Erastus Bartholomew. Bartholomew got his start working for William Church, a renowned press inventor. Later on, another noteworthy press inventor, Isaac Adams, would serve as his apprentice. Records from the time indicate that Bartholomew and Adams had a symbiotic relationship, with Adams as acting as an inventor and Bartholomew as a manufacturer. Bartholomew is credited with working alongside Adams to create the highly successful Adams Power Press and, based on claims Adams made, the same might be true for the Union Press.