Misplaced Pages

#807192

44-742: Depending on how it is dated, the Advertiser Democrat is either the oldest weekly newspaper in Maine, or the oldest paper, period. The current paper is the result of a merger between two competing periodicals, the Norway Advertiser and the Oxford Democrat , which merged in 1933. Since June, 2005, the Advertiser Democrat has been owned by the Costello family, which also owns the daily Lewiston Sun Journal , as well as

88-713: A competitor and would, under the stewardship of George W. Wood, became the leading morning daily in the region. The two papers maintained a fierce rivalry until Wood purchased the Journal from the Dingley family on February 1, 1926, moving production from the Dingley Building to The Sun' s facility at 104 Park Street in Lewiston. By 1945, when Wood died, the Sun and Journal were the fourth and fifth most-read dailies in

132-507: A man whose name I afterwards learned was Berry, came into the field where I was assisting my father in hoeing corn, and stated that it was his intention to start a paper in Norway village the next spring, to be called the Norway Advertiser , and wished my father to become a subscriber. He did so, which pleased me exceedingly, as reading material of any sort was very scarce among the farmers of Oxford County at that time. The subscription salesman

176-813: A number of weekly newspapers, including: the Bethel Citizen , the Falmouth Forecaster , and the Rumford Falls Times . The Advertiser Democrat traces its ancestry to the first newspaper published in Oxford County, Maine , the Oxford Observer . Founded by Asa Barton , the Observer was published from what was then the county seat, Paris Hill, Maine . The first issue appeared on July 8, 1824. People who claim

220-465: Is said that Barton moved his presses in the dead of night, by ox cart. The first issue published from Norway appeared on November 29, 1826. On December 14, 1826, the paper carried this terse notice: As the Observer is now published at Norway, the labors of the present Editor will terminate with this number. His connection with the paper is now dissolved. J.G.C The first Norway issue of the Observer carried this notice, which also gives some insight to

264-545: Is water. South Paris is drained by the Little Androscoggin River . The town is crossed by Maine State Route 26 , 117 , 118 and 119 . The town has a small park, Moore Park, with a new, fenced in playground for children to play in. Moore Park no longer has a water fountain, but there is a monument in the center with a gazebo to one side for public events. As of the census of 2008, there were 2,237 people, 972 households, and 536 families residing in

308-668: The Bridgton News , the Rumford Falls Times and the Berlin Reporter . James, a 1968 Pulitzer Prize winner for a series "Crisis in the Courts," team-written while he was Chicago Bureau Chief for the Christian Science Monitor , moved to New Hampshire in 1972, while he continued to write books and lecture around the country. That year, he married Judith Vogel Munro, who had taken sole ownership of

352-644: The Advertiser as "A newspaper calculated for working men and their families," may well have been a jab at the rival Oxford Democrat . In April, 1882, the printing offices of the paper, along with its list of subscribers, was lost in a fire that wiped out 10 structures along Norway's Main Street. By that time, the paper has been re-dubbed the Oxford County Advertiser and it was under the ownership of Simeon Drake and C. E. Meserve . The fire

396-573: The Advertiser is the oldest newspaper in Maine tend to use this date. The next oldest surviving newspaper, the Kennebec Journal was founded in 1826. However, for reasons unknown, the Advertiser officially dates itself from 1826, when Barton moved the newspaper from Paris Hill to neighboring Norway, Maine . Barton was a supporter of John Quincy Adams for president, a move which reportedly put him out of step with his Paris Hill neighbors, and even, seemingly, his own editorial staff. It

440-431: The Advertiser . At that time, the four-page publication had struck "Oxford County" from the masthead and was once again circulated under the banner of the Norway Advertiser. With Sanborn at the helm, the 'Advertiser' soon became the paper of record for Oxford County. Circulation grew to 2,000 copies weekly, thanks in large part to promotions that gave away free papers. A January 1, 1882, notice had listed circulation of

484-476: The Advertiser Democrat , became a tabloid. When Sanborn died in 1938, ownership of the paper passed to Osgood. The leadership styles of the two men were recounted by Mearle M. Brown in a 1963 issue of the Oxford County Review : Two people could not have been more unlike than these two. Fred Sanborn was brusque, fiery and turbulent; Ralph Osgood was quiet, almost retiring, but their ability in

SECTION 10

#1732794093808

528-409: The Advertiser Democrat. In 1964, Stanley Newhall , of Waterford, Maine , replaced Tucker as the paper's editor. When Newhall retired, Sallies wife, Margie, took the reins. On July 22, 1976, Sallies sold the paper to Howard James . Sallies operation had become a central printing plant a decade earlier with the installation of a Goss Community Offset printing press. The papers it printed included

572-468: The Berlin Reporter in 1970 upon the death of her husband, Stevenson Munro, in a horseback riding accident. At one point, Howard and Judy James owned seven newspapers in Maine and New Hampshire, with Horwad James acting as publisher, often writing and editing as well, and Judy James active in management, editing, advertising sales, writing and photography over the years. However, by the turn of

616-681: The Democrat by then, sold out to Fred W. Sanborn , owner and publisher of the Norway Advertiser . The last issue of the 'Oxford Democrat' was published November 7, 1933. Its subscribers were signed up to receive the Norway Advertiser . In a column published in the October 22, 1886 issue of the Oxford County Advertiser , Dr. Osgood N. Bradbury recalled the origins of the paper. Forty-three years ago last June,

660-488: The Oxford County Advertiser at 800. Free papers may have helped, but one assumes content mattered. Otherwise, the Advertiser would never have been able to hold onto its readership base. For that end of the business, much thanks may be given to Sanborn's wife, Laura, who served as editor of the paper from 1882 until her death, following surgery, in 1923. When Laura died, Sanborn's nephew, Ralph S. Osgood , originally of Lowell, Massachusetts , became editor and manager of

704-587: The Sun Journal as well. South Paris, Maine South Paris is a census-designated place (CDP) located within the town of Paris in Oxford County , Maine , United States. South Paris is included in the Lewiston-Auburn , Maine metropolitan New England city and town area.The population was 2,237 at the 2000 census . While the CDP refers only to the densely settled area in the southern part of

748-667: The Sun Journal can be traced back to May 20, 1847, when printer William Waldron and future Governor of Maine , Dr. Alonzo Garcelon founded Lewiston's first paper, a weekly called the Lewiston Falls Journal . In 1857, former employee Nelson Dingley Jr. became owner and publisher, and the paper entered into full-time daily publication in April 1861. It rebranded in 1866 as the Lewiston Evening Journal . In 1893, The Lewiston Daily Sun emerged as

792-423: The CDP. The population density was 577.1 inhabitants per square mile (222.8/km ). There were 1,052 housing units at an average density of 271.4 per square mile (104.8/km ). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.32% White , 0.36% African American , 0.18% Native American , 1.34% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.04% from other races , and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.49% of

836-464: The Costello family, the newspaper was purchased by Reade Brower , owner of MaineToday Media , in 2017. In August 2023, The National Trust for Local News completed its purchase of the newspaper and included it in a new non-profit group of newspapers in Maine called the Maine Trust for Local News . The group began to control some other publications previously controlled by Brower. The lineage of

880-472: The Sun Journal celebrated 175 years of publication. The Sun Journal prices are: $ 2 daily, $ 3 Sunday. On October 1, 2007, the Sun Journal purchased Kirkland Newspapers of Farmington, the publisher of four weekly newspapers : The Sun Journal also owns The Forecaster , a free regional paper. The Advertiser Democrat , Bethel Citizen, and Rumford Falls Times (weeklies) are published by

924-511: The area. Today, the Advertiser Democrat and entire Sun Media group is owned by Maine Today Media and Reade Brower. Sheehan continues to lead the paper as well as all other Sun Media western Maine weeklies as Managing Editor under Executive Editor Judy Meyer. Usually every Friday, up to four of the 11 front-page stories from that week's Advertiser Democrat appear on the newspaper's website: www.advertiserdemocrat.com. Pointers to

SECTION 20

#1732794093808

968-401: The average family size was 2.84. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP

1012-671: The business on July 2, 1959, when Osgood died. Sallies promoted Benjamin Tucker from the paper's staff to the editor's post in 1960. Then, in 1961, Sallies entered the Andover Newton Theological School , where he received his B.D. degree in 1964. The following year, Sallies became minister of the Universalist Church in Westbrook, Maine . Meanwhile, Sallies continued to serve as publisher of

1056-748: The century the couple had sold off or closed all of their holdings except for the Advertiser Democrat and the Rumford Falls Times . With none of the James and Munro children expressing an interest in taking over the papers, James sold out to the Costello Family, publishers of the daily Lewiston Sun Journal in June, 2005. Once the Sun Media Group bought the paper, Ed Snook served as publisher, while editor A.M. Sheehan headed up

1100-475: The current paper does hearken back to the original Oxford Observer , using a masthead which a similar font to the original publication and a printing press in the flag that is nearly identical to the one used in that very first 1824 issue. Barton's second go-round as a newspaper publisher was short-lived. After just seven issues, he sold the paper to George W. Millett , of Norway, and Octavious King , of Paris, Maine , both of whom had been apprentice printers at

1144-441: The following year, 1850, Millett sold the paper to George L. Mellen & Co. According to the 175th anniversary issue of the Advertiser Democrat , published January 3, 2002, "After several more ownership changes," the Democrat was moved to South Paris, Maine in 1907 by its then-current owners, George Atwood and Arthur Forbes. Then, during the height of the depression, in 1933, Forbes, who appears to have had sole ownership of

1188-476: The newspaper also maintains satellite news and sales bureaus in the Maine towns of Farmington , Norway and Rumford . It is the third largest daily newspaper by circulation in Maine. Though its history dates back to 1847, the Sun Journal has existed in its current iteration since 1989, when Lewiston's two largest newspapers, the morning Lewiston Daily Sun and afternoon Lewiston Evening Journal were combined into one publication. Long owned and published by

1232-492: The newspaper business was almost on par. Osgood never married and, like his uncle, had no children. Taking his cue from Sanborn's example, Osgood invited his nephew, Robert C. Sallies , of Weirs Beach, New Hampshire to summer in Norway and learn the newspaper trade, beginning in 1949. Sallies graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1954, became business manager of the Advertiser Democrat in 1955, and inherited

1276-526: The newspaper trade there. Sanborn partnered with Drake and bought out the job printing job of the Rev. J. A. Seitz , located at the present home of the Advertiser Democrat at 1 Pikes Hill. Rev. Seitz, whose son Don Seitz would later go on to become business manager off the New York World , had a weekly newspaper at the time called New Religion . He sold the subscription list for this paper, and

1320-512: The newsroom of two full-time reporters. Since Snook and Sheehan took the helm, the paper has won numerous awards from the Maine Press Association and New England Newspaper & Press Association as well as the 2011 George Polk Award for Local Reporting, Finalist, Michael Kelly Award - 2012 and A.M. Sheehan and Matt Hongoltz-Hetling were Nominees for a 2012 Pulitzer Prize for the body of work they did on Section 8 rental housing in

1364-493: The original Observer . Millett and King quickly changed the name of their paper to the Oxford Democrat and moved it back to Paris Hill. Like many newspapers of the era, the Democrat largely reflected the views of the political party for which it was named. In 1839, Millett took over as sole owner, by which time the paper had returned to Norway. A decade later, fire destroyed the Democrat's printing offices and

The Advertiser Democrat - Misplaced Pages Continue

1408-537: The paper's online presence is www.advertiserdemocrat.com. The Advertiser Democrat is more popularly known as simply The Advertiser. Much of the data on the history of the Advertiser Democrat was taken from the paper's 175th anniversary issue, published January 3, 2002. Lewiston Sun Journal The Sun Journal is a newspaper published in Lewiston, Maine , United States, which covers central and western Maine . In addition to its main office in Lewiston,

1452-409: The paper, having begun his apprenticeship in 1908 during summers spent with his aunt and uncle. However, Sanborn still exercised a strong influence of the paper. He was said to believe that no personal item was too insignificant to print, holding a strong view that these details produced a living history of the community. With the depression cutting sharply into revenues, the merged papers, now called

1496-407: The population. There were 972 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and

1540-702: The print shop business to Drake and Sanborn. However, he took his four-horsepower, steam-driven printing press to North Conway, New Hampshire , where New Religion resumed publication with the July 14, 1882 issue. Meanwhile, the Advertiser returned to the streets with the July 23, 1882 issue, thanks to a printing press Sanborn purchased in Somersworth, New Hampshire for $ 100. When the Advertiser resumed publication, Sanborn announced that it would continue politically as an "independent." On January 1, 1883, Sanborn, along with his wife, Laura, bought Drake's interest in

1584-718: The small mill town . In the 1890s, the Oxford County Courthouse moved from Paris Hill to be near the Grand Trunk Railway station. Much of the manufacturing and industry faded with the Great Depression , but South Paris remains the commercial section of Paris, and retains much of its Victorian era architecture. Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School , the regional high school, was founded in South Paris in 1961. Actress Reta Shaw

1628-628: The state with circulations of 27,480 and 14,088, respectively. Wood's heir was Louis B. Costello , who began as The Sun' s business manager in 1898 and was promoted to general manager and treasurer of the papers' publishing company in 1926. He, in turn, left the papers to his son Russell, who, in 1989, combined the two papers form the Sun Journal . In 2017, the Sun Media Group was sold by the Costello family to Reade Brower, owner of MaineToday Media . The Sun Journal began publishing its Monday paper online-only March 2, 2020, along with three other Maine Dailies owned by MaineToday Media. On May 21, 2022,

1672-609: The subscriber, near his present residence, (the place to be designated in some future paper) All Papers which are now delivered at this Office will, after the first week in December, be delivered at the Bar-Room of Mr. Simeon Norris without any additional expense to the Subscribers. Our other Subscribers will receive their Papers as usual by the different Mail Carriers. Asa Barton, Agent. The Observer's existence in Norway

1716-553: The town of Paris, the entire town, outside of Paris Hill , is located within the South Paris ZIP code, resulting in many residents referring to the entire town as South Paris. During the 19th-century, the Little Androscoggin River provided water power to operate mills in South Paris, and the village grew up around them. The opening of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad on June 8, 1850 further spurred development of

1760-596: The world of early 19th century newspaper publishing: INFORMATION The subscriber would respectfully inform his friends and the Patrons of this Paper in this vicinity, that the contemplated removal of the Printing Offices will not interfere with any arrangement, as to the delivery of the Papers of the pay for them. All such as have engaged to pay Wood the ensuing winter, are informed that it will be received by

1804-450: Was Ira Berry and, true to his word, he did indeed start a newspaper. The first issue of the Norway Advertiser appeared on Tuesday, March 10, 1844. In the April 12, 1844 issue, Berry and his co-publisher, Francis Blake, Jr. , wrote in a "Prospectus" for the Advertiser : "It may be well to state that it is not intended to make the paper the organ of any political party, nor to interfere with partisan politics." The editorial, which billed

The Advertiser Democrat - Misplaced Pages Continue

1848-502: Was born in South Paris in 1912. South Paris is located at 44°13′18″N 70°30′53″W  /  44.22167°N 70.51472°W  / 44.22167; -70.51472 (44.221609, -70.514603). According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10.2 km ), of which 3.9 square miles (10.0 km ) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km ) (2.03%)

1892-417: Was reported to have started in an attic directly over the print shop. For two months, the Advertiser was out of business while its owners scrambled to rebuild their operations. Fred Sanborn arrived on the scene right after the 1882 fire, having sold his interest in a New Hampshire newspaper. Having attended high school in Norway for a short time, he had returned hoping to make a home in the town and take up

1936-448: Was short-lived however. In 1829, Barton sold the paper to William Goodnow , who rechristened it The Politician in 1832 and moved it to Portland, Maine . Undaunted, Asa Barton started a second newspaper, The Oxford Oracle in 1833. When dating the lineage of what is now known as The Advertiser Democrat , this 1833 marker would seem to be best, rather than the 1824, or 1826 dates of Barton's earlier publications. However,

#807192