Gary L. Knepp
For history geeks such as myself, reading old local newspapers can be akin to savoring a five-course gourmet dinner. Each paper was unique with its own blend of ingredients. In order to indulge in the full experience, I read the original paper rather than the digital version; it’s just more flavorful.
Just what kind of treats can you expect to find when you dip into these old relics? A sampler is provided below. Bon-appetit:
POLITICS: The papers were highly partisan. There was no pretense of objectivity. You clearly knew which party the paper supported. Each paper ran its party’s platform, and printed remarks from party candidates as well as its surrogates. Local campaign events, sample party ballots, and vote totals were provided. Name-calling was raised to a new art form as the editors lambasted the rival candidates and each other. Contemporary politicians have nothing on these old boys.
LETTERS: Letters from former residents and traveling subscribers were staples of the local paper. Letters from the boys in the service, especially the Civil War and The Great War, were highly prized. Some of the authors were designated as “Correspondents.”
SPORTS: Sports were prominently featured. The results of the Clermont County baseball league often appeared on the front page. The league’s consensus all-star was Goshen’s Sam Leever who would later pitch in the first World Series in 1903 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Corn husking was a fan favorite. The gist of the “sport” was to see how many ears of corn the athletes could husk within a specified time. Organized husking ran through the 1940s.
FAMILY HISTORY: These old papers are treasure troves for the family historians. You’ll find the expected birth and death notices, wedding announcements, military enlistments and other minutia. But every once in a while the truly remarkable pops up: detailed obituaries, an article about community founders, even court cases about your family’s black sheep.
ADVERTISEMENTS: One of the most fun “courses” to read was the advertisements. Everything imaginable was offered for sale: cans of corn, eggs, automobiles, wagons, corsets, and a dizzying array of personal products.
Growing literacy and advances in printing technology fueled an explosion in the growth of local newspapers during the nineteenth century. Clermont County was no exception. Papers popped up throughout the county-Milford, Batavia, Williamsburg, Bethel, Bantam and New Richmond. They were quirky, reflecting the personality of the editor. Some were of general interest and others were narrowly focused. Most were short-lived. All but one are gone.
Let’s take a closer look at several:
THE POLITICAL CENSOR
The paper, remembered as a “dingy sheet” with a few advertisements, no local news and months-old national and foreign news, was published in Williamsburg. The first issue was released on January 15, 1813. It lasted less than one year. It did succeed, according to one observer, in creating a “thirst for reading.”
THE ADVANCE (later known as THE NATIONAL ADVANCE)
This Batavia-based paper opened its doors in 1874. It was called “a small but spicy independent paper” that supported “The Patrons of Husbandry,” also known as the Grangers. The Grangers was a national organization that supported the interests of farmers. It was very popular in Clermont County, having as many as thirty “lodges” or chapters.
THE PHILANTHROPIST
The first edition of the PHILANTHROPIST spun off the presses on January 1, 1836. James G. Birney, a former slave-holding attorney from Danville, Kentucky, began the paper in order to bring its anti-slavery message to the country. He came to New Richmond, following the destruction of his press in Kentucky, upon receiving promises of financial support from the Donaldson family and assurances from village residents to protect the paper. The paper published anti-slavery editorials, coverage of important anti-slavery legal matters, meeting announcements, and anti-slavery business advertisements. The strenuous commute between his home in Cincinnati to the office on horseback or by boat prompted Birney to move the paper after three months to the Queen City. A pro-slavery mob burned down the presses several months after the move.
THE NEW RICHMOND INDEPENDENT
The paper, which began operations in 1869, was respected for its “freshness and correctness.”
It achieved a state of “journalistic excellence” for its editorial of July 10, 1876. The editor highly praised the efforts of a local lynch mob which had hanged George Mangrum of Kentucky, a budding serial killer. The editor wrote:
“The mob deserves the thanks of the entire community.”
Further, the editor wrote that the actions of the mob reduced the chances that the defendant had to prove his insanity by “sham “courts.
In a future column, we’ll take a look at the county heavyweights: The Courier and the venerable, The Clermont Sun.