Henderson daily dispatch., 1939-08-31
Daily Paper
Established
Alg.l2,19l4
Began More or Less
AS Experiment When
War Broke Out, and
Came into Being as
Real "War Baby.

Born at the beginning Of the perio
of the worlds latest strife and hos
tility, with its first issue appearing
on August L., 1914, the Henderson
Daily Dispatch was in reality war
baby"
The pape a.oe into being to meet
a pressing need of the time. The
World War had been in progress only
two weeks. Excitement scarcely knew
any bounds. People were frantic to
grasp every item of news about what
was going on. AT that time they
thought the war would last only a
few months. An early Allied victory,
and then peace again, was looked
for on nearly every hand.
There were no radios IN those days,
and the newspapers were, as they are
still, for that matter, the chief re-
lance for information as to happen
ings at home and abroad.
For some time prior to that event.
full August, the owners of the Hen
derson Gold Leaf had dreamed of a
daily newspaper in Henderson. And
this seemed the opportune time to
begin. So what was called the Daily
Gold Leaf began more or less as an
experiment to test the willingness of
the community to support such an
enterprise. AS late even as the end
Of the year the question of a perma-
nent daily paper was not settled. But
it continued on. More help was OBJ
tanned and early 1915 brought the
determination to drive the stakes
deep for establishment of an after
noon newspaper in Henderson. A
name Of its own was selected for the
daily and it. has ever since been
known as the Henderson Daily Dis
patch. During the Is years no issue
of the daily has ever been missed
save for Christmas and few other
holidays taken now and then.
The late Thad R. Manning found
ed the Henderson Gold Leaf in the
year 1881, so far as available inlor-
nation shows. He labored with it
for thirty years, until his health be-
gan to fail.
Progressive citizens decided to take
over where he wished to lay down
his duties. They contracted with P.
T. WGy to come here and assume
publication of the Wcakiy Gold Leaf.
He was ut that tir . J.lling a week.
ly newspaper, tn vaxhaw Enter
prise, j., Union county
A corporation was formed. The
first stockholders in addition to Mr..
Way, included R. S. McCoin, w. A.
Hunt, F. c. Toepleman, Colonel
James r. Young, Robert Bum, J. c.
Kittrell and A. J. Harris All of these,
except MIR. Hunt and Mr.. Kittrell,
are now dead, assuming that Mr..
McCoin is no longer alive.
Shortly after Mr.. Way came to
Henderson, the Gold Leaf was STEP
ped III ~o,n a weekly to a semi
Vee&iH newspaper. That succeeded
N.9il and il 1914 came the daily edi-
ton
Early in 1914, the company pur-
chased its first linotype The same
year the building now occupied by
the Dispatch was erected by the late
j. w Beck as home for the plant,
and the shop was moved from the
second story corner of Garnett and
Montgomery streets, over what is
now the Home Furniture Exchange,
into the new building.
In 1916 a second and larger limo
type machine was bought, and in
1919 Dur * NGb perfecting press
was purcha ~ md installed. Steady
growth of the newspaper necessitat-
ed larger e4t.pnent and in 1920 the
(COntint ti..d on Pooo Co1,o,\