The PRESS OF KNOX COUNTY, Maine. For sketches of the Press in Knox county we are indebted to Messrs. EDWIN SPRAGUE and W. H. TWOMBLY. THOMASTON, EAST THOMASTON, AND ROCKLAND. THOMASTON REGISTER. The first newspaper published in what is now Knox County was the Thomaston Register. The first issue was on the 17th of May, 1825. It was a weekly, and published in Thomaston, as its name indicates. It was started mainly by the agency of Mr. Jonathan Ruggles and his friends, who entered into a three years' contract with Edwin Moody, of Hallowell, to print the paper for $500 a year; Mr. Ruggles was to furnish paper, manage the edi- torial department, and have the income. It was well printed, ably edited, and without party bias until the approach of the Presidential election in 1828, when, under the editorial charge of Mr. Cilley who was killed in the duel with Graves, it became a warm supporter of Jackson's administration. Mr. Moody sold his interest in the establishment in September, 1831, to Abner Knowles, and removed to New Hampshire. The paper was con- tinued by him under the name Of the INDEPENDENT JOURNAL, and printed by Wm. S. Tyler, assisted by H. P. Coombs, until the spring of 1832, when the establishment was sold out to George W. Nichols and brother. Mr. Ruggles, who started it, has since been a member of the Supreme Bench, and State Senator, and is still living at Thomaston. 192 THE NEWS PRESS OF MAINE. NATIONAL REPUBLICAN, This paper was started in Thomaston, October, 1832, as the organ of the Whig party. It was printed by John Ramsay and edited by Wm. J. Forley. After a few years Ramsay removed his paper to what is now Rockland, then called East Thomaston, where it was discontinued, or merged in the THOMASTON RFPUB- LICAN. In 1837 the two political papers having become extinct, Hezekiah P. Coombs commenced the publication of a paper bound to no party. The first number was issued August 23. Mr. Coombs was printer and publisher. H. Prince, Jr., was editor the first year. In 1846, October 1, its existence terminated. It was afterward revived by D. J. Starrett, under the name Of STAR AND RECORDER , but was discontinued in 1848. THOMASTON REPUBLICAN. In January, 1839, appeared the first number of a paper called the Thomaston Republican, at what is now Rockland. It was Whig in politics, and was published by R. B. Caldwell. In 1841 it was removed to Wiscasset. ROCKLAND GAZETTE. On the 22d of January, 1846, at East Thomaston, now Rock- land, began the publication of the Lime Rock GAZETTE, since changed to Rockland Gazette. It was published at first by Lewis Richardson and John Porter. In August, 1847, Richardson with- drew, and Porter published it alone until 1860, when he associated with himself as publisher, Greenleaf Porter, his son, who died in 1865. In 1866 Mr. Porter took in as a partner E. E. Wortman, who had for several years been foreman of the office, and the pa- per is now published by them. It claims to be independent in politics. Its first editor was James Fogg, who continued in the position till the autumn of 1846. He was succeeded by Dr. Al- bert Shaw from 1847 till his removal to Bath; by M. P. Williams to January 28, 1850; by A. D. Nichols from January 31, 1850, to February 25, 1853 ; by Wakefield G. Frye from February 25, 1853,. to March 19, 1857 ; and by Z. Pope Vose from March 19, 1857, who is the present editor. KNOX COUNTY. 193 LINCOLN MISCELLANY. In 1850, August 7th, a new paper under the name of Lincoln Miscellany was started in Thomaston by Wm. Corthell and Benj. A. Swan. It was neutral in politics, and devoted, to literature, news, and general information. After a few months Swan left, and the paper was continued by Corthell till the close of August, 1853. It was then sold out to O'Brien and Co., and the Maine Sickle, an opponent of the Maine Liquor Law, and an organ of what was then styled the Wild Cat wing of the Democratic party, was commenced under the editorial management of David O'Brien, and continued until March, 1854. THOMASTON JOURNAL. On the 9th of March, 1854, another paper was started in Thomaston by C. H. Wine, under the name of the Thomaston Journal, professedly "neutral in nothing independent on all subjects." It was continued four years, when it changed its name to LINCOLN ADVERTISER and became a Republican paper, with George W. White as editor. In October, 1859, it was removed for want of support to Damariscotta, where after a few months it was discontinued. In the spring of 1856 Warren C. Plummer commenced a paper for the presidential campaigns called the LINCOLN REPUBLICAN, which was printed at the office of the Thomaston Journal, but after a month or two it was discontinued. DEMOCRAT AND FREE PRESS. On the 1st of November, 1855, the first number of a new pa- per was issued in Rockland by A. and E. Sprague, called the United States Democrat. It was a political paper, devoted to the interests of the Democratic party. In 1857 the Maine Free Press, a paper published at Belfast, was united with the Democrat, and the name of the paper, after the junction,was changed to Democrat and Free Press, which name it now bears. In 1861, at the rupture which took place in the Democratic party between those who sup- ported and those who opposed the war, the Democrat and Free Press took the war side of the question, joined the Republicans in 194 THE NEWS PRESS Of' MAINE. sustaining the government, and is now the recognized organ of the Union party in the county of Knox. It has always been pub- lished and owned by A. and E. Sprague; has a larger circulation than any other weekly published in the counties of Knox of Lin- coln, and is one of the only two papers of all those started in those counties that has sustained itself and supported the publish- ers. The publishers are brothers, the elder of whom has been, and is the editor, and the younger is a practical printer and has always superintended the printing of the paper. The Free Press passed from the firm of A. and E. Sprague, Jan. 1, 1861, to Edwin Sprague, who is now editor and proprietor. YOUTH'S TEMPERANCE VISITOR. In February, 1860, Mr. Z. Pope Vose commenced the publica- tion, at Rockland, of the Youth's Temperance Visitor, with the design of making it a means of promoting the temperance educa tion of the young, and advancing the interests of juvenile tem- perance organizations throughout the country. It was continued through the first volume and was received with much favor by many leading friends of the cause, but its support was nevertheless inadequate. A second volume was commenced, but finding it impossible to obtain a sufficient support while the country was in the midst of the excitement attending the first months of the war against southern rebellion, the paper was discontinued after the issue of three months, and its subscription Est transferred to another publication. The publication of the Visitor was renewed by Mr. Vose in September, 1862, and has been successfully con- tinned since that time. The first volume of the new series was begun with a subscription list of about 3,500, but before the close of the volume its circulation had increased to nearly 7,000 copies. The present circulation of the Visitor is between 8,000 and 9,000 copies. It circulates, more or less, in thirty States and provinces, and has received the endorsement of the National and Grand Di- visions and Lodges of the Orders of Sons of Temperance and Good Templars, and of many of the leading friends of the Win- perance cause. KNOX COUNTY. 195 The Rockland Gazette has changed owners twice within the year 1871. The firm of Wortman and Porter dissolved a few months since; and recently Z. Pope Vose and John B. Porter have purchased it and formed a copartnership under the style of Vose and Porter. The Youth's Helper and Temperance Visitor, a monthly tem- perance and child's paper, for several years published here by Z. Pope Vose, has recently been removed to Portland. CAMDEN. AMERICAN CITIZEN. The first newspaper published in Camden was the American Citizen, which began its existence, May 13, 1840, as a Democratic sheet. After a brief career of twenty weeks, it expired for want of patronage. The editor and proprietor was John R. Shaw, a hatter from Winthrop, who subsequently went to California. CAMDEN ADVERTISER. In 1851 the Camden Advertiser was started in Camden by F. C. Messinger, where it was published for nearly a year, and then removed to Rockland, where it was published till 1854 under the name of Commercial Advertiser. Mr. Messinger after discon- tinuing his weekly, published for a short time a small tri-weekly, but sold his office in 1855 to A. and E. Sprague, and moved to Oshkosh, Wis., where he again engaged in the newspaper printing business. 1n 1852 he published a campaign paper called the Pine Tree State, which was under the patronage and editorial control ,of Hon. E. K. Smart. It was discontinued after the election in November. NOTE. The name of the paper printed and published by H. P. Coombs, men- tioned on page 192, was the THOMASTON RECORDER. *********************************************** Source for the above: "The Press of Maine" by Joseph Griffin 1872 Brunswick, Maine *********************************************** Courtesy of the New England Old Newspaper Index Project of Maine (R) and the Androscoggin Historical Society ] PO Box 152 Danville, Maine 04223 ************************************************* * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. 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