Outagamie County, WI - "- Area Papers Started in 1850's-" ************************************************************* USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************* Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives Subject: newspaper article "- Area Papers Started in 1850's-" Submitted by: county coordinator EMAIL: jmmarasch@aol.com Date Submitted: 15 March 2000 Source: New London Press newspaper article from Bicentennial issue, undated. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Area Papers started in 1850's by Leona Mech Throughout the years, New London has had its share of newspapers. The first volume of a newspaper in New London was the N.L. Times, dated October 3, 1856. A.J. Lawson was the editor, and the paper sold for $1.50 a year. Newspaper advertising was 75 cents an inch, for display. This paper folded in 1857. In 1858, a Robert Perry revived this paper for just a short time. There seems to be no record of a news paper for the following ten years. In 1868, a Mr. Graves and a Mr. Sears started publishing "The Era," which lasted less than a year. A second N.L. Times was tried in 1870 by John C. Ogden. This paper had several owners throughout the Seventies, two being A.C. MacRorie and Edsil E. Gordon, in 1871. They charged $2.50 a year for a subscription - $2.00 in advance. On May 11, 1871, the front page carried a little more than four columns of new state laws passed by the legislature that year. The list, set in small-sized type, was in marked contrast to the voluminous proceedings of, modern day legislation. Back in 1871 a building was erected on the Northeast corner of Water & Pearl streets to serve as fire barn and village hall, and the Times was located on the second floor. In 1874, Charles A. Pettibone started a second newspaper in N.L., and called it the N.L. News. The printing press was located in the basement, where a flood in 1876 put four feet of water over the press. "The News" was printed by "The Times" for a short while, until Pettibone gave up his business in May of 1876. The Tribune became the NL Times & Tribune in 1880, under the management of H.S. & H.P. Pickard. This paper, located where Mike's Service Station stands today, ended in 1881. Another short-lived paper was "The News" which was started in 1885, but lasted only until August of the same year, under the editorship of D.L. Stinchfield. The N.L. Enterprise was started in 1890, under supervision of a Mr. Johnson and a Mr. Ransom. Their paper lasted not much longer than the others. That same year, 1890, George Patchin and Frank Brady began publishing the Dual City Tribune. The paper was printed in Clintonville and was supposed to serve both cities. A press was later installed in N.L. and the paper was then known as the N.L. Tribune. In January, 1900, this paper also failed. With the construction of the new city hall in 1896 the old structure became the business home of Hollenbeck and Nye, commercial printers and publishers. Mr. Nye was the father of Senator Gerald Nye, of North Dakota. Later, Miss Anna Ritger of Hortonville purchased Nye's interest in the business, then still later the interest of Hollenbeck. The N.L. Press was started by Charles Carr in 1893. The Republican was established in 1897. Carr started the Press as a hand press printed weekly in the rear rooms over the American Railway company offices. When the Press was launched by Mr. Carr, Margraff and Freiburger were owners of a clothing store. Freiburger immediately subscribed to the paper, and also wrote the first clothing advertisement, which was about 2" long and 211 wide. Since that time the value of newspaper advertising has become more generally appreciated, and the small column has often spread to full pages. May, 1908, saw still another paper trying to win a readership in New London. It was called the Inter-City News. It lasted but 29 weeks. Around 1917 I.E. Cooley became the publisher of the N.L. Republican, which occupied the old City Hall site. At that time the press room and commercial printing department occupied the ground floor and the composing room where all the type was located on the second floor. Elevators were used to move forms back and forth between the press-room and composing room. Noted in 1921 Fay R. Smith advertised Columbia records in the Press - one record was entitled: "Eve Cost Adam Just One Bone." -- In 1923 Inez Danks won a Buick Six for selling the most subscriptions, during a campaign. About 1925??? Mr. Cooley purchased the building on St. John's Place, where the newspaper was published. The N.L. Press and the Republican served the public for over 30 years before they merged in 1928. It then became known as the Press-Republican. Wm. Comstock was the next owner of the Press-Republican. He was followed by Charlotte Clark. January 1, 1954, Gordon Culver bought the paper from Mrs. Clark. It was a weekly then, and in 1955, Culver changed it to a tabloid daily published five days a week. It was a daily for 21/2 years before being changed to a semi-weekly. I started working for Mr. Culver in 1954, the year he purchased the paper. The business was located on St. John's Place. Later, the building was sold for a parking lot, and the newspaper moved into the Ebert building, across from the Post Office. The old press was sold and Culver did his printing at Wautoma, where he had set up a press. In 1971, the paper moved again - next to the Pearl street bridge. Culver, owner for 18 years, sold the Press to Howard Sanstadt, who took over January, 1973. Now the paper has moved on Shawano Road. Hortonville has a history of newspapers dating back to 1890 when Gerald Nye started the Weekly Review. He was the Review's editor until 1915. After that R.H. Wright took over as editor. He lasted until 1918 when Lloyd Wright became editor. J.W. Haughton was editor from 1921-1931. Charles Augustine was editor 1931-1932. W.T. Comstock and Arthur Stricker ran the paper from 1932-1933. And W.T. David Hodgins teamed with Comstock from 1934-1935. Hess joined with Comstock in 1935. After that Keith Van Buren started the Town and Country News. The Kinder Zeitung started in 1960. Gary and Gale Garriot operated the paper. It lasted for one year. Then Gordon Culver started the Star in 1963.