Biography of Edwin Lincoln Vadakin, St Francis County, AR *********************************************************** Submitted by: Paul V Isbell Date: 19 Nov 2008 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************************** The early history of The Herald. it was founded as the Forrest City Times back in 1871, the year the town became incorporated into a town. The Times was published weekly as a six-column newspaper and was recognized as one of the most enterprising papers in the state. The Times changed hands frequently until 1886, when it became the property of Col. Ed Landvoight and his son-in-law, Edwin L. Vadakin for $700, these two country printers who "knew the business from sweeping out to paying off, " bought the paper including its good will and accounts from Thomas J. Hicks. In 1904, a momentous occasion was dutifully recorded when the firm of Landvoight & Vadakin was "replenished and greatly augmented by the addition of a beautiful new press of 300 pounds of handset type, a Reliance Drum Cylinder press, complete with steam fixtures, a folding machine, 3-horsepower gasoline engine, etc., and this is the first and only power outfit ever operated in the county. " The Herald, founded in 1904, is incomplete but it is believed the paper was taken over at one time by the late Eugene Williams of Forrest City, and then bought by John T. Durst, who later was joined by his wife in the operation of the paper. Mr. Durst formed a stock company in 1919 and purchased The Times to form the Times-Herald. In 1931, he discontinued the weekly publication and started the Daily Times-Herald. In October 1943, Mr. Fred N. McCollum Sr. purchased the paper located on Front Street from Mr. Durst. SOURCE: HISTORY of ST. FRANCIS COUNTY, ARKANSAS, 1954 - Robert W. Chowning Copyright, with Permission: Weston McCollum Lewey, Publisher -Times Herald Publishing-Forrest City, Arkansas