John M. Jones – Palmyra’s Master of the Printing Press

John M. Jones arrived in Palmyra, New York around 1856 and established a factory that became one of the region’s leading manufacturers of printing presses and paper cutters. A gifted inventor, Jones held several patents for improvements to printing-press machinery—especially the popular Gordon platen press used by job printers across America.

From his Palmyra workshop came presses known as the Jewel, Lightning, Jones-Gordon, and Washington Jobber, many of which were shipped throughout the United States and overseas via the Erie Canal. His innovations made printing faster and more reliable for small commercial shops, helping spread printed materials in the late 1800s.

Although often called a “printer,” Jones was primarily a manufacturer and inventor, whose creativity and craftsmanship placed Palmyra on the map as a center of 19th-century printing technology.