JULY 21, 2016 // 9
Books, gardening, hiking, hobbies,
recreation, personalities, travel & more
The
typewriter man
‘ONE OF THE
BEST THINGS
ABOUT
TYPEWRITERS
IS THE STORIES
THEY TELL.’
An Astoria man embraces his mania for all
things typewriters and their cultural history
By MATT LOVE
I
I bet most people don’t know
that Astoria boasts one of the best
typewriter museums in the country.
It’s pretty exclusive, and I believe I’m
the only visitor so far.
The museum is the brainchild of
Ray Montgomery, and it’s not really
a museum open to the public. Rather,
it’s a fantastic collection of 140 or so
vintage, non-electric typewriters in
his split-level home in the Peter Pan
Park neighborhood of Astoria. Ray
recently relocated to Astoria from
New Jersey to live near his sister.
He’s retired after a long career as an
aerospace engineer who worked for
defense contractors.
Ray’s mania for collecting type-
writers began two years ago when he
saw a vintage typewriter on display
at Powell’s Technical Bookstore in
Portland. “I was hooked right there,”
he said.
From that moment on, Ray
began acquiring typewriters from all
over the country and has amassed
an eclectic collection that features
machines in different sizes, colors
and designs. All of them are in good
working order. The Remington
Noiseless model from the 1940s is
his favorite.
Ray contacted me after reading
an article of mine about my type-in
event during the Fort George Brew-
ery’s Festival of Dark Arts this past
February. He invited me over to see
his collection, and I agreed because I
am a bit of collector myself.
I intended to stay only a few
minutes but remained for well over an
hour, marveling at his machines and
listening to him speak with such pas-
sion and knowledge about all thing
typewriters and their cultural history.
He truly put on a great show!
“One of the best things about type-
writers,” Ray told me, “is the stories
they tell and how so many people
have fond memories of using them
or hearing a parent or grandparent
typing away in the next room.”
During my visit, I got to try a
popular Hermes 3000 model from the
1960s, exquisitely manufactured by
the Swiss. After a few strokes of the
keys, I could not believe how buttery
smooth it was to type with the ma-
chine. The sound it made in operation
was music to my ears. I didn’t want
to stop! It made me want to À y home,
immediately buy a Hermes, and write
letters, drafts of articles, and maybe
start a novel on it.
In recent years, typewriters
have made something of a come-
back, particularly with millennials.
Typewriting enthusiasts from all over
the country host type-in events in
bookstores, cafes, libraries and bars
where people reconnect to the old
machines or try them out for the ¿ rst
time. “They will last forever,” said
Ray, “and you can keep writing by
candle if the power goes out!” Ray
also forgot to mention another bene¿ t
to typewriters: no upgrades or viruses
— ever. Just new ribbons from time
to time.
(Ray is looking for opportunities
to make presentations about typewrit-
ers and display part of his collection
in public places. Contact him at
rhmontg0354@gmail.com for more
information.)
Matt Love is the author/editor of 14
books, including “A Nice Piece of
Astoria” and “The Great Birthright.”
His books are available at coastal
bookstores or his web site, nestuc-
caspitpress.com
PHOTO BY MATT LOVE
First introduced in 1958, the Swiss-made Hermes 3000 typewriter was an instant success and widely popular in
the U.S and around the world.
PHOTO BY MATT LOVE
Astoria man Ray Montgomery owns a collection of 140 vintage typewriters.