Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1921-06-01
IS OLD NEWSPAPER
Baltimore Americans Long and
Eventful History.
First Issued in 1878, the Newspaper
Has Continued Without Break
Until the Present Day.

Many people find a fascination in
old newspapers. They like to read
that such and such T"ner is the old
est in the country, or the first one
published in such and such a city.
And when a newspaper changes own
ers, says writer in the Christian
Science Monitor, 1t is always sure of
finding interested readers for the
scraps of its own history which it
prints along with the announcement
of the change. Thus when Frank A.
Munsey's New York Herald, in an
nouncing recently Mr.. Munseys pur-
chase of the Baltimore American, re-
ferred to the American as colder than
the government of the United States
Itself" and as the second oldest news
paper in America" many who saw the
item found their thoughts turning
back to the days when newspapers
were far less common than they are
today But presumably none were
misled into taking that statement to
indicate that the American was the
second newspaper established in the
United States. OF course, there We're
many before it. The Baltimore Amer
lean was first issued on August 20,
1878. It's founder was that William
Goddard who was at the time editor
Of the Pennsylvania Chronicle of Phil
adelpha, and who, on the occasion of
a visit to Baltimore, was urged to I'M
dertake publication there. The Bal
timore American was not specifically
the paper which Goddard founded In
Baltimore. His first issue there ap-
peared under the title of the Maryland
Journal and Baltimore Advertiser, and
continued under that title until an
other Philadelphia went to Baltimore
and purchasing the newspapers,
changed its name to the Baltimore
American and Commercial Intelli-
Eencer. Thus the name Baltimore
American first served as the heading
for the newspaper in 1875.
But William Goddard was already
newspaper man of demonstrated en-
terprise and ability, even before his
experience with the Pennsylvania
Chronicle. Apparently he had served
as an editor in New York, and GER
tainly he had had newspaper expert
ence in Providence, r. l., where he
established the Providence Gazette and
Journal in 1862. Thus Goddard him
self appears to have had some connec-
before he ever thought Of the one
which eventually became the Balti-
more American. And journalistic his
tory brings up a number of newspaper
titles which were antecedent to his
Baltimore foundation. There was the
New England group, Of which the
Boston Newsletter first appeared on
April "a. 1904, and early found rivals
in the Boston Gazette, initiated De
cember 81, 1719, and the New England
The first newspaper in the middle colo
MES, the American Mercury of Phila-
delphia, began publication on Deem
Der 90, 1910, The Pennsylvania Ga
zette, with which Benjamin Franklln's
name was associated, appeared on De
cember "a, 1928. Ahead of Goddard
in Maryland, William Parks, who had
been made public printer there, es-
tabllshed the Maryland Gazette at
Annapolis, on September 10, 1927. But
the Baltimore American gained its
temporary precedence over newspapers
now in existence and claims its title
as the second oldest in America, for
continuing issues without break from
the day when Goddard first issued the
Maryland Journal in 1878.