Sandusky County, Ohio - Chapter 15: The Press, 1909

Chapter 15: The Press

Eighty years ago the first printing press was brought to Lower Sandusky. It was a small hand-press introduced by David Smith; and the first paper printed on it was called the Lower Sandusky Gazette, edited, printed and published by himself alone. The first issue was in July, 1829. The exact size of the sheet was seventeen by twenty-one inches. The life of the paper was brief; the enterprise did not pay, and after about eighteen months struggle for success its publication ceased. The late Reuben Rice of Ottawa County worked for Mr. Smith on the paper for a short time, while Smith was suffering from the ague, then prevalent as the common malady.

The Lower Sandusky Times was the next venture in the newspaper publication. The press for it was brought to Lower Sandusky by Alvin G. White in 1837, and the first number was issued early in July of that year. No. 8, Vol. 1, dated September 9, 1837, is now before the writer of this chapter.

The Lower Sandusky Whig. In 1839 the material of the Times passed into the hands of Clark Waggoner, who changed the name of the paper to The Lower Sandusky Whig. And the Times ceased to exist. The first number of the Whig, dated May 4, 1839, is also before the writer. This issue contains a notice of the installation of Rev. Ferris Fitch as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Lower Sandusky, to occur in the Methodist Chapel May 16 at 2 p. m.

The Whig was an ardent supporter of General Harrison for the presidency in 1840. The press on which the Whig was printed was called a "Ramage" and was similar in construction to the old Ben Franklin press now so carefully preserved as a historic relic. The press is understood to have been used in printing the Albany (N. Y.) Argus, during the War of 1812. It was taken from that office by David Campbell to Courtland County in 1818, and to Sandusky City in 1822, where it was used in printing the Sandusky Clarion until 1834, and brought to Lower Sandusky in 1837.

"The condition of my old 'Ramage' was such, that before using it, I found it necessary to brace it from the floor to hold it up, and to brace it from the ceiling to hold it down. Only one page of the paper was printed at an 'impression,' and that was found to be sufficient to take the muscular resources of the average pressman, as the weekly show of blisters on my hands abundantly testified. The type and other materials of the office, were in keeping with the press. After repeated repairs the veteran finally gave out, somewhat after the manner of the 'One Horse Shay,' and in 1841 was followed by a Washington iron press, purchased of Charles Scott, then proprietor of the Ohio State Journal. I had seen no happier day than was that on which this addition was made to my office, and the old press was inconsiderately stowed away in a back yard to become fuel for the inappreciative. I remained here until September, 1843, when, yielding to the pressure of hard times, I removed my office to Milan, and started the Milan Tribune. It is a pleasure here to state that my first apprentice, Mr. Isaac M. Keeled, entering the office of the Whig September 17, 1840, obtained so strong a hold on the printing business that now he does credit to his former preceptor in the

Of the carriers of the Whig earning their 1834 cents per week the names of O. A. Roberts, E. F. Dickinson and William E. Haynes may be mentioned.

I deem it a high privilege to be permitted to write these dates, marking as they do the passage of time since at the early age of eighteen years IJ issued the first number of this newspaper. This is not the occasion for a review of the long line of activities and experiences which, with me followed that advent in business life. Sufficient now to say that throughout the intervening years God's providence never failed of wisdom and goodness which it is my privilege here to recognize.

Clark Waggoner

Lower Sandusky Teiegraph. John Shrenk succeeded Mr. Waggoner in the publication of the paper, but changed the name to the last above, which he published until March, 1849, when the same was purchased by James S. Fouke, who changed the name to the

Lower Sandusky Freeman, which was edited and published by Mr. Fouke till November, 1852, when the same was sold and transferred to J. M. Main, who shortly afterward sold the office and the publication of the Freeman was discontinued.

The Fremont Journal which was to have an interesting and successful career as an able public journal, made its first appearance as the Journal on the 27th day of January, 1853. Its publication was begun by Mr. I. W. Booth and continued until December 24, 1853, when Mr. John Mastin became the owner. The Journal was really the legitimate successor of all the earlier publications in Sandusky County.

On the 26th day of May, 1854, Isaac M. Keeler became the owner of a one-half interest in the press and paper. On December, 1, 1854, Mr. Keeler bought out the interest of Mr. Mastin and became sole proprietor and editor. The Journal, like Mr. Keeler, its editor, was born a Whig, and did most valient service for the Whig party and later for its successor, the

On September 15, 1865, Mr. Keeler sold the establishment to Redway Bros., who on October 5, 1866, sold out to Wilson & Green. Mr. Wilson sold his interest to his partner May 22, 1868. After a few months Mr. Greene sold to A. H. Balsley who continued the publication of the Journal until November 12, 1875, when Hartford & Grove became its proprietors, and conducted the paper until December 22, 1877, when Isaac M. Keeler again became the owner of the Journal office. In 1882 he associated with him his son, Samuel P. Keeler, the firm being known as I. M. Keeler and Son. The father was editor in chief and the son associate editor. Later Miss Lucy Eliot Keeler, daughter of I. M. Keeler, became a contributoi to its columns. Her interesting articles entitled "Pot-pourri" will be with pleasure recalled. In September, 1901, I. M. Keeler & Son disposed of the Journal to The Journal Publishing Co., which company after two years of its publication sold the same to the present owners and publishers, Wilson Hamilton & Thomas J. Maxwell, who under the firm name of Hamilton and Maxwell have continued its publication; but during the first year of their ownership, the Journal was changed to a semi-weekly newspaper, and is now being issued as such with T. J. Maxwell, editor. It is still Republican in politics and regarded as the central organ of the party.

Sandusky County Democrat. The first number of this paper was issued in the fall of 1837 by a company composed of John Bell and other prominent Democrats. In the fall of the year 1838, the owner transferred the Democrat office to Homer Everett, the then sheriff of the county elected on the Democrat ticket that fall, and William Davis, the printer who had been in charge for the company. Everett & Davis continued the publication of the Democrat till 1842, at which time Mr. Everett retired, having been admitted to the bar. Davis soon thereafter sold to Charles J. Orton, who afterwards sold an interest in the paper to Edward F. Dickinson. The firm of Orton & Dickinson published the paper until the establishment was sold by them to John Flangher. Owing to political excitement and dissensions in the Democratic party over the Southern question, the paper lost patronage and finally in 1856 was was compelled to discontinue publication, and the press and material were sold to I. M. Keeler of the Journal.

The Democratic Messenger. This paper was started by i: D. Botefur in 1856, and has been under various ownerships continued till the present. for some years when it passed to the control of John B. Dickinson who after a successful management for some time sold out to John and Frank Fouke, under whose management the paper failed. The press with its materials was then transferred to Mordicai P. Bean, from whom it passed to J. S. Van Valkenburgh, who conducted it till about 1872 when the establishment was purchased by James M. Osborn, who had been associated with Van Valkenburgh in the publication of the Messenger. Osborn on January I, 1884, sold to George Kinney, L. A. Dickinson, Charles F. Pohlman, Jr., Geo W. Lesher and A. V. Bauman, who incorporated The Messenger Printing Company. M. E. Tyler was editor and L. Q. Fletcher associate. On April 1, 1885, S. C. Lamberson & Co. purchased the Messenger office and conducted the paper for some years, and finally sold to David Fisher, and Fisher in turn sold to the present Messenger Printing Company, under whose control the paper had a varied existence, editorially, until about five years ago when T. A. Dean, the present editor, was placed in editorial contro]. Since then the paper has been ably managed and the circulation mitch increased. The Messenger since it was established has been generally accepted as the county organ of the Democratic party, but it is proper, in this reference to state, that early in the eighties there was dissatisfaction among the party leaders concerning its editorial management and in consequence The Weekly Herald was started as a more satisfactory advocate of the measures and methods of the county Democracy. The Herald was conducted with much ability by A. D. Hook and Godfrey Jaeger, and for a time with financial success, but the party differences which gave rise to the paper, disappeared and the publication of the Herald was discontinued, and the Messenger which had been published all the while, but lately, under changed management, regained its former prestige as the organ of the party in the county.

The Fremont Courier is published in the German language and was founded in 1859 by Dr. Ferdinand Wilmer and George Homan, the former the editor and the latter the printer of the paper. Homan after a year withdrew and Dr. Wilmer assumed sole control of the paper until August, 1862, when Paul Knerr took charge of the mechanical department of the office. Dr. Wilmer sold to George Homan, November 6, 1862. In July, 1863, Homan sold to Anthony Young and Paul Knerr. In 1867 Young sold his interest to Knerr. Dr. Wilmer had been all the time editor of the paper, and in 1870 became a partner with Knerr, and remained connected with the paper until his death in July, 1877. Mr. Knerr bought the interest of the estate of Dr. Wilmer and secured the services of Joseph Zimmerman as editor. In 1881 Zimmerman became the sole owner of the Courier and continued to edit and publish the same until 1897 when by reason of ill health he retired from the active management of the paper, but still retained ownership of the same until his death in 1go2.

His personal representatives leased the Cour- - rier to Welsh and Magrum, who before the expiration of their lease surrendered the same to the Zimmerman estate. The paper has since passed successively through the ownership of Worst & Walde, M. Latte, The Messenger Printing Company and finally to C. Vollmer, who is now conducting the same. The Courier is Democratic in politics.

The Fremont News. The Daily News was established by Harry E. Woods, and the first number issued May 2, 1887. About a year later a weekly edition was printed. Mr. Woods sold the News to James Taylor Petty about 1890, and the latter in time disposed of the property June 2, 1892, to Wrigley Bros. After some years the weekly edition of the News was changed to a semi-weekly. In January 1908, The Wriglev Brothers Printing Company was incorporated, which organization pur-

And Representative Citizens

The Clyde Enterprise was established at Clyde, Ohio, by the late Henry F. Paden and J. C. Loveland, the first issue making its appearance on March 21, 1878. After five weeks Mr. Harkness N. Lay purchased the interest of Mr. Loveland and the paper was run by Paden & Lay until May 1, 1880, when Mr. Paden purchased Mr. Lay's interest. At the same time A. D. Kinney purchased the Clyde Sentinel and the two papers were consolidated and run by Paden & Kinney under the title of the Enterprise and Sentinel. Kinney sold his interest to Paden on July 1, 1881, and on September 1, 1881, Mr. Paden dropped the affix of Sentinel and the paper was continued under the name of the Enterprise, by which name it is still known. On July 1, 1884, the paper was purchased by the Jackson brothers, B. F. and Thos. E. Jackson. January 10, 1901, it was purchased by Mr. J. W. Flickinger. B. F. Jackson had purchased his brother's interest in July of 1885, and although he had several partners, some of whom were active and some of whom were silent, he controlled the policy of the paper. In September of the present year (1909) Mr. Flickinger sold the paper to B. F. Jackson. In politics the Enterprise has ever espoused the cause of the Republican party. The Enterprise has ever been regarded as an able and influential Republican organ in Sandusky County.

Besides the Sentinel consolidated with the Enterprise there were published at Clyde the Times in 1866, the News in 1868, the Independent in 1870 and the Review in 1873, all running only a brief carreer and then disappearing.

The Clyde Reporter is a weekly newspaper at Clyde, Ohio, published on Thursdays of each week by W. H. Blair, editor and proprietor. In politics the Reporter is Democratic. Though frequently requested, from its publishers, the writer has been unable to learn when or by whom this paper was founded.

part of the news all of the time, but all the news, all the time, that is news that is fit to print." Clark N. Wilder is the editor. The writer has made several unsuccessful efforts for further facts as to when and by whom established.

The Bellevue Gazette being the only newspaper now published in Bellevue, a large part of which city is in Sandusky County, and having a large circulation in Sandusky County, is therefore classed with the press of this county. -

C. A. Willard, a former resident of Bellevue, who conducted a dry goods store in the room F. S. Hobart & Co. occupies, but who now resides in St. Louis, Missouri, in a recent letter to A. B. Viall, has the following to say of the beginning of the paper:

"IT am very much obliged for the account you sent of the Squirrel Hunters published in the Bellevue Gazette. You may not remember it, but I established the Gazette there in Bellevue, first as an advertising sheet. Then you remember that a young man came and I assisted him to buy a press and type and start up in good shape. For two years or more I assisted in editing the paper, and we made quite a paper out of it. He afterward

This is the inception of the Gazette, and the young man referred to was E. P. Brown, from Oberlin. Mr. Brown later gained national fame as the publisher and editor of the Ram's Horn. But back in 1873, a small Irish lad of some 13 years of age began heaving coal, washing rollers and making himself generally useful around the shop. This was C. R. Callaghan. With a perseverance worthy a better reward he stuck to his tasks, and in those days they were many, graduated from devil to a_ fullfledged "jour" and in 1881 was able to buy a half interest in the business, and the firm was Stoner & Callaghan. This continued for twelve years, or until the death of Mr. Stoner. In 1899 C. R. and M. J. Callaghan formed a partnership and continued the publication of the paper until February 1, 1906, when the Gazette Publishing Company was incorporated.

Within the past few years the Gazette has absorbed two other printing plants. In 1899 Hearson Brothers began the publication of the Daily Record, which they continued for seven

230 HISTORY months, when the paper and printing outfit was bought by C. R. & M. J. Callaghan. The name of the paper was changed to The Daily Gazette and its publication has been since continued daily, except Sunday.

On January 1, 1906, C. R. & M. J. Callaghan bought the daily and weekly Bellevue News, together with all the appurtenances and real estate and in February the combined property was taken over by the Gazette Publishing Company.

The Woodville News entered the newspaper field of Sandusky County as an independent five-column weekly, November 9, 1894, with A. C. Gorsuch as founder and publisher and his wife in charge of the editorial department. Her son W. F. Warner was in charge of the mechanical department. At the close of the first year it was made a six-column sheet and during the year 1898 it appeared as a semiweekly. In September W. F. Warner became editor and publisher with his sister Nellie and Inez as assistants. In the meantime Mr. and Mrs. Gorsuch moved to Navarre, Ohio, where they published the Navarre News and where Mr. Gorsuch died. Mrs. Gorsuch then returned to Woodville, and the Navarre plant was consolidated with the News under the firm name .

of Warner & Gorsuch with W. F. Warner as editor. Mr. Warner resigned September, 1903, and Mrs. Gorsuch assumed full charge of the office until January, 1904, when V. E. Cchuh became managing editor, who is still in charge.

The Gibsonburg Derrick was established at Gibsonburg April 4, 1889, by J. L. Dunderman and W. H. Oswalt who published it until 1891, when Mr. Dunderman became the sole publisher. In 1892 W. J. Aleshire purchased the plant and he as editor and Mrs. Aleshire, his wife, as his associate, conducted the paper until his death in August, 1905, after which time Mrs. Aleshire alone continued its publication until October 1, 1908, when she disposed of the same to the present owners, Triffit & Triffit, who are still publishing the paper which is issued weekly and is Democratic in politics.

The Greenspring Echo is a sprightly weekly newspaper edited and published at Greenspring, Ohio, by J. W. Hahn. While the office is located on the Seneca County side of the county line between that county and Sandusky, dividing the village, yet the circulation of the Echo being about equal in both counties, it is here mentioned with the press of Sandusky County.