1826 - 1897
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Notes |
- The PRESS- the story of the the establishment of this excellent Journal
was told by the owner, C.B. Gould, in 1888: " in 1866, an association of
gentleman,residents of the county, purchased the printing material of
the defunct CITIZEN, with a view of establishing a Republican paper and
sent to us, then in Binghamton, NY, to come in and published it. We
arrived here at the last day of February, 1866, and a more desolate
looking place, or one more uninviting to embark in the enterprise of
establishing a newspaper, could rarely be found. Theonly view that met
our eye, on stepping from the cars was the towering mountains, woods, and
stumps, but the few scattering houses including the Biddie House, then
kept by J. L. Cook. Our first impulse was to take the return train, then
due, for New York State, and not show ourself to the committee that we
felt had imposed upon us, but just then Frank McCollum, who had preceded
us here,and was engaged to work in the printing office, put in his
appearance and informed us that James G. Clark (an old acquaintance from
Utica) was to give a concert in the court house that evening, and desired
to see us. After supper atthe Biddie House, we were piloted to the
courthouse meandering between stumps(sidewalks were a luxury unknown),
and through mud we imagine to be about 3 ft. deep, and at last arrived at
the temple of Justice, a thoroughly disgusted individual. To our surprise
we found a large audience of intelligent, fashionably dressed men and
women, and a better class of people we never met. But wheredid they come
from? Was a query we could not answer. There were but a few dilapidated
dwellings to be seen, but woods and stumps, and stumps and woods
everywhere. Did these people live in hollow trees or behind stumps? Where
else could they live? We did not then know that the woods were full of
the best kindof people, engaged in lumbering, living in their own the
lumber camps, a wealthy, prosperous class, and many of them educated and
refined. After the concert, were taken through the audience in introduced
to the people, during much asa new minister would be exhibited to his
flock. We then made the acquaintanceof many who had been our most valued
friends these years. Some of them still reside here, a few have made the
residence and other places, in many of ceasedfrom labors and gone to
their eternal rest. The next morning after our arrivalin Emporium, we
went to the printing office, then in the old Gibson House, atthe lower
end of the borough, and found the sorry looking concern. It was a hand
press, some newspaper type, and very little material for job work. The
forms of the citizen had been left without washing, and having been in
that condition for nearly a year, printers can readily understand the
labor required toclean the type and get ready for use. The office was in
terrible condition, and almost a complete mass of " pi ". However, we
want to work, and in about 10days but the office in good shape, and
issued the first number of the press.The paper was of a 6 column folio
just half the present size, set in long primer, but a creditable looking
sheet, in the Enterprise proved a financial success from the start. Was
then the only paper published on the line of the P & ERailroad, between
Lock Haven and Warren, and our business increased so rapidlythat we were
compelled, in a few weeks, to put it in the establishment a Gordon job
press and add-largely to do our jobbing facilities. The business steadily
increase, and the press had been enlarged to and 8 column paper, the
establishment was complete in every department, when, in November 18th
77, it was completely destroyed by fire without a dollar of insurance;
the hard earnings of 11 years went up in flames and smoke, and we were
compelled to start at thebottom round again; and now, after 11 years
more of toil, and many discouragements, we have a better office, one of
the most c
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Sources |
- [S1335] GEDCOM File : scranton-shaw.ged, Kathleen Shaw Decker (Kdecker973@aol.com), (http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GED&db=scranton-shaw&id=I46), 4 Feb 2004.
- [S1571] LDS Family Search, Data from IGI online.
- [S1591] Newton Protestant Cemetery, Emporium, PA.
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