The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1906-05-16


A Gazette reporter called on the
state historian and archivist and
found Mr. Lewis preparing an ar
ticle on the discovery of the Great
Kanawha falls. which occurred in
September. 1911. The newsgath-
erer said: "What have yon of in
terest today?' Mr.. Lewis replied
by saying. have been engaged
for day or two in an effort to se-
cure as many files as possible of the
early newspapers of the state, BY
the way" said he. shave yon ever
thought what source of informa.
ton there would be if we could SO
cure files of all the newspapers
published in West Virginia before
the OWL war! They would certainly
be most interesting!'
What were some of the early
newspapers of the state?" was
asked
Mr.. Lewis replied, The frst
newspaper published in West vir
ginia was the Potomac Guardian
and Berkely Advertiser, published
at Martinsburg, the first issue ap-
pearing in August. 1870. Its size
was 9x15 inches, it's motto was,
Where Liberty dwells, there is
my country" Its editor was DR..
Robert Henry, physician, who
began prectioing in Berkely in
1855 How long it continued I do
not know. The second newspaper
printed within the limits of the
state was the Martinsburg Gazette.
established in 1899, by Nathaniel
Willis. father of the distinguished
poet, Nathaniel Parker Willis. The
third West Virginia newspaper
WIS The Berkely and Jefferson
County Intelligencer and Northern
Neck Advertiser. which made it's
appearance in the year 1900. John
Alburtus being the publisher. You
see this was the cradle of the news
paper interests in West Virginia
The first newspaper printed in
Wheeling was The Repository, the
publication of which began in
1907 Following closely after it in
that oity, were The Times. The
Gazette. The Telegraph and The
virginian. In 1903 the publioa-
ton of The Farmers Repository
began at Charles Town, in Jeffer-
son county"
The first newspaper published
in Charleston, now the capital of
the state. was The Kanawha
Patriot founded by Herbert P.
Gaines, in the year 1919. The
6rst newspaper printed at Point
Pleasant was The Virginia Senti.
nel,' which made it's appearance in
August. 1848"
In the first half of the last cen
tury many other papers in addi
ton to these were founded, 30 that
in the year 1850 there were three
dailies and twenty-one weeklies
published within the limits of West
Virginia. OF these the three dali
les and two of the weekliea were
published in Ohio county. OF the
others, two were published in
Brooke. one in Greenbrier, one in
Hardy, two in Hampshire, three in
Jefferson, ons in Kanawha, one in
Lewis, one in Marshall, one in
Monroe, three in Monongalia, one
in Wood. Within the next ten
years. that is. from 1850 to 1860,
there was increased activity in the
newspaper field, and in the latter
year, West Virginia newspapers
were read weekly in thousands of
West Virginia homes. OF the
newspapers published in the state
in 1860, the year Immediately pre-
ceding the beginning of the civil
W AZ, there was published in this
state the following newspapers:
Counties. Name of Publication
Bar5our-The Barbour Jefferson
Berkeiey-Tbe Republican.
Berkeley-The Gazette.
Brooke-The Wellsburg Weekly
Herald.
Brooke-Tne Millennium Harbin
ger
The Stylus.
Greenbrier-The Lewisburg Era.
Greenbrier-The Greenbrier Chro-
niole
Greenbrier-The Greenbrier Inde.
pendent.
q a4mpshire-Tbe Virginia Argus.