It’s no secret that Texas is an economic powerhouse. It turns out that aside from booming Texas businesses, the Lonestar State has a crucial role in the manufacturing of U.S. currency. According to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the sole producer of U.S. currency, all U.S. paper currency is printed between two U.S. facilities: one in Washington D.C. and the other Fort Worth, Texas.
Why paper currency?
The U.S. introduced paper currency in 1861 amid troubles raising funds ahead of the civil war. Believe it or not, paper currency at the time was perceived as a glorified, Government IOUs in which the government, then without an official printing facility, sourced production of the then-called Demand Notes through a private firm.
Demand Notes were printed in sheets of four and were then sent to the Treasury Department in which employees manually cut and signed the notes by hand.
Over the next couple of years, chief clerk in the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Construction Spencer Clark implemented more sophisticated techniques in the form of manufacturing, printing, and engraving. In 1875, The Engraving and Printing Bureau of the Treasury Department became an officially recognized governmental institution.
Still at the time of the BEP’s inception, the government was outsourcing engraving and printing to private companies. It wasn’t until 1877 that the BEP began to produce all U.S. Government currency.
What is Fort Worth’s role in the manufacturing of U.S. currency?
Fort Worth is the home of the BEP’s official Western Currency Facility, its first and only official currency production facility outside of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington D.C. Both entities are also responsible for the printing of official U.S. security documents.
According to its official website, the Fort Worth currency facility produces over half of all U.S. currency.
Why is Fort Worth is one of two currency presses?
Five decades or so following the construction of its permanent Washington D.C. facility at 301 14th Street, officials sought for construction of satellite production facility west of the Mississippi River.
A new facility would make the Washington facility less susceptible to emergency disruptions, aid in overall capacity, and reduce costs for transporting currency.
Of the 83 cities that bid to host the new facility, the U.S. Government selected Fort Worth in large part due to the efforts of then mayor Bob Dolen and other Fort Worth investors.
Where is the Fort Worth printing center?
The Western Currency Facility is located on a 100-acre plot of land on Blue Mound Road in Fort Worth. 9100 Blue Mound Road Fort Worth is the official address.
Can I visit the Western Currency Facility?
The Western Currency Facility is open for either guided or self-guided tours. Here, visitors can witness the production of billions of dollars (via an enclosed walkway), as well as interactive exhibits spread across two floors, historical displays, and informative guides detailing the art of currency production.
Tours are available at the Western Currency Facility in Fort Worth between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm Tuesday through Friday.
Where does the actual paper come from?
All paper for U.S. currency has come from Massachusetts-based company Crane and Co. since 1879. The paper is made specifically for the BEP, that is, it’s illegal for anyone outside the BEP to own this type of paper.