The following article was written in 1904 describing the history of newspapers in the county to date.
The first printing office ever established in Williamson County was in the year 1838, was owned by W.H. Willeford, and was located at his residence, seven miles southeast of Marion. This was before Marion was laid out and located as a county seat. In fact, it was while Williamson and Franklin Counties were embraced in the same territory and called Franklin County, with the county seat at old Frankfort, twelve miles north of Marion.
Mr. Willeford was energetic and resourceful, and was a good printer for his day and time; he was also a book binder; he bound small books and pamphlets, and printed about all of the blank forms that were used by the county offices and Justices of the Peace.
He continued in this line of printing and book binding until about the year 1860 when he established a by-monthly journal, called the “Western Family Monitor.” The publication of this paper, in connection with the job printing turned out by the office, attracted the attention of some business men in Marion, who bought out his press and stock of printing material, and moved the same to Marion, and started the newspaper called the “Marlon Intelligencer” published by I. B. Jones, editor and publisher.
From 1855 to 1859 the “Marion Intelligencer” was the only newspaper printed and published in the County. There were many changes in editors, publishers and managers.
It is said that at one time Robert G. Ingersoll was manager and editor-in-chief. This was, perhaps, about the year 1858 and 1859. The winter and spring of 1861, Mr. De Bard Rock and Mr. John McGarvey were editors and managers. With the breaking out of the Civil War, it seems that the paper suspended publication for a while. We have no reliable data as to the extent of the publication of any newspaper during the time of the Civil War, although the office and material situated in a room on the north side of the Public Square was occasionally used to do job printing and to keep up appearances.
It continued to bear the name of the “Marion Intelligencer,” and was the only newspaper published in the County. In the spring of 1866, the name of the paper was changed to “The Marion Star,” and was owned by a company, or an association, of individuals, and was published as the Democratic organ of the County.
In 1866, the first Republican paper ever printed or published in the County was issued by an association that organized for the purpose of giving the Republicans in the County a newspaper or party organ.
The original contributors to this enterprise were Captain George W. Sisney, Capt. William N. Mitchell, Capt. David G. Young, S. M. Mitchell, William M. Hindman, Jesse Bishop and George W, Young. The name given it was “Our Flag”. Lyman E. Knapp, a practical printer and Jesse Bishop were designated and installed as editors and publishers.
In September, 1866, the Democratic organ, “The Marion Star,” changed owners, and changed its name to that of “The Old Flag,” with Dr. Samuel H. Bundy, editor and manager. These were the two papers that represented the two parties, Republican and Democrat, during and through the campaign of 1866.
George W. Sisney, Republican, was elected Sheriff at the election in November, 1866, and the Republicans having carried the election the year previous, they had control of all the County offices.
“Our Flag,” the Republican organ, under one management and another, continued to be the organ of the Republican party during the years 1867, 1868 and 1869. Judge Jesse Bishop shaped the policy and politics of the paper. Lyman B. Knapp, the original editor and publisher, was succeeded by Ed Bishop, and others, among whom I remember was John I. Hogg, James F. Connell and Samuel O. Hart.
James F. Connell became editor and publisher in the spring of 1870, and remained in charge something like one year, when the office again came under the control of Judge Jesse Bishop.
In 1871, the material of “The Marion Star” was disposed of to Mit A. Bates, who established the paper called “The People’s Friend,” an independent Democratic paper.
About the year 1874 “The People’s Friend” was sold by Mit A. Bates to an old gentleman by the name of W. R. Brown and his sons, Richard H. Brown and C. D. Brown, who changed the name to that of “The Williamson County Democrat” and run it for a short time, but it was closed out by the Sheriff.
A stock company was formed in the spring of 1875, which organized and started a Democratic paper called “The Egyptian Press,” Will S. Washburn as manager, editor and publisher. The old printing office and material of the Republican Party, called “Our Flag,” was run under other names and other managements up to May, 1874, when James P. Copeland, of Vienna, came to Marion, and procured a lease, or rather a permit, to revive the dormant “Flag.” This he proceeded to do by changing the name to “The Marion Monitor.”
On the 30th day of May, 1875, the offices of “The Egyptian Press” and “Marion Monitor” were consumed by fire, with a total loss. (This is the same fire that destroyed the Court House when it was in the southeast corner of the square, the Egyptian Press office was in a building next door.)
“The Egyptian Press” was immediately re-established by a stock company or association of leading Democrats of the County, among whom we call to mind Z. Hudgens, James M. Washburn, Charles H. Denison, William H. Bundy, N. E. Norris, William T. Davis, Levi Ferrell; there might have been others, but we do not call them to mind at this distant day.
“The Marion Monitor” was re-established at once by James P. Copeland and George W. Young, who were assisted by liberal contributions from various Republicans throughout the County. James P. Copeland continued to be editor and publisher, and the paper continued to be, as it had been from the start, soundly Republican, while “The Egyptian Press” was soundly Democratic.
In 1877, John F. Lusk, a practical printer and writer, bought an interest in “The Monitor” from George W. Young, and remained connected with the paper something like two years, when he sold out to John H. Duncan and Edward E. Mitchell. In 1886, Thomas J. Helton started a paper called “The Marion Independent,” published the same about one year, when it was bought by a stock company composed of E. E. Mitchell, John H. Duncan. W. C. S. Rhea and Elder William H. Bole., and this office was consolidated with “The Marion Monitor” in 1886, and the name changed to “The Leader,” with James P. Copeland, editor and manager.
This new company continued the publication of “The Leader” for about one year, when it became the property of Oliver J. Page, who, after running the paper about a year, sold the same to Arthur Roberts and Thomas M. Mitchell.
About 1896, W. R. Lee started a paper in Marion called “The Marion News,” which was Republican in politics, but was not well supported. It was mostly of the material of the defunct “Creal Springs News.” (an independent).
Miscellaneous Newspapers
During the period from 1866 to 1875, there were a great many newspaper enterprises started by adventurous itinerant printers, but as a rule, they did not exist very long, and died for the want of patronage.
I call to mind the “Williamson County Progress” published by John A. Wall. It was a Republican sheet, but did not last more than about one year. Another called “The Old Flag” was established by Lyman B. Knapp, after he had ceased his connection with the Republican paper called “Our Flag,” which, as I have said before, was the first Republican paper ever established and published in Williamson County.
Another called “The People’s Friend,” established by Mit A. Bates, it was an independent Democratic paper, and was the most successfully published paper of the whole number of papers of this class, I think. It went out of existence, being succeeded by the Egyptian Press Printing Company in 1874, when the plant was sold to an old eccentric publisher by the name of H. P. Brown, and his two sons, Richard H. Brown and C. D. Brown, of White County.
They published, for a while, two papers, one called “The Williamson County Advocate,” and another they called “The Williamson County Democrat.” These did not live more than a year, as the old gentleman and his two sons were rather eccentric in their style, and their publications were not popular with any class of our citizens.
Sometime about the year 1984, Thomas J. Helton established or bought out a dead office in Creal Springs, called “The Creal Springs Advocate,” and run it something like a year on a losing basis, and then moved to Marion, and printed “The Marion Independent” for one year, and sold the same to the stock company that bought out the old “Marion Monitor” Company, and established “The Marion Leader.”
About the year 1882, John H. Barton established “The Carterville Advocate,” and sold the same afterwards to James P. and B. F. Copeland, who run the same something over a year, and sold it to L. E. Robertson, who still continues the publication of the paper. Will L. Connell established a paper at Creal Springs, called “The Creal Springs Union.” It was poorly supported, and didn’t exist but a few months when it was accidentally burned out. There was a paper called “The Farmers’ Advocate.” printed by H. G. Blood and John Palmer. It had Democratic tendencies in politics but professed to be published in the interest of the farmers. If went out of existence sometime about 1875.
About the year 1870, Green Stewart, George Gulp, Fergis Farris and T. J. Helton launched the newspaper enterprise, called “The Marion Gazette.” It professed to be independent in politics. They issued five numbers and it died a natural death. “The Williamson County Republican” was started by Thomas Boren in Marion in 1889, but passed out of existence after four weeks.
In June, 1904, The Leader Printing Office was incorporated with a capital stock of eight thousand dollars, incorporators being Arthur Roberts, T. M. Mitchell, John H. Duncan, O. H. Burnett, Oliver J. Page, Lloyd C. Campbell, J. F. Throgmorton, John M. Dodd, J. B. Bundy, F. T. Joyner, Leonard Culp and W. T. Felts. John H. Duncan was elected President of the Company; O. H. Burnett, Vice President, and L. C. Campbell, Secretary and Treasurer. Arthur Roberts was chosen as editor and publisher.
January 1, 1895, Samuel K. Casey bought a half interest of the “Egyptian Press,” and the same was owned by Samuel K. Casey and James M. Washburn until 1901, when Walter Williams bought Jas. M. Washburn’s half interest. Casey and Williams were the owners until January, 1903, when James H. Felts bought Williams’ interest. The plant is now owned by Samuel K. Casey and James H. Felts.
In February, 1904, James P. Copeland and others, bought “The Marion News” from W. R. Lee, and established a paper called “The Record,” so that there are now three weekly papers in Marion, viz: “The Leader,” “The Egyptian Press” and “The Record.”
The papers printed in the county at present are: “Herrin News,” (Independent), printed at Herrin; “Carterville Herald,” (Independent), at Carterville; “Creal Springs News,” (Independent), at Creal Springs; “Johnson City Review,” (Independent), “Johnson City Progress” (Republican) at Johnson City; “Egyptian Press,” (Democratic) ; “Marion Leader,” Republican: and “The Record,” Republican, the last three at Marion.
Daily Newspapers
There have been several attempts to publish a daily paper in Marion, first by James P. Copeland, who started “The Daily Leader” in 1900; next was “The Marion Post,” by Ollie R. Nation, in 1901; next was “The Marion News,” by W. R. Lee.
These publications were of short duration, and in March, 1902, Casey and Felts, having bought out the “Daily Marion News” and “The Daily Marion Post,” began the publication of the “Daily Marion Post,” and it has become a permanent daily publication, with a circulation of eight hundred. It is quite a newsy sheet, neatly printed, and well edited in the main.
On the whole, the press of Williamson County compares favorably with the press of any other County in Southern Illinois.
(Written by George W. Young in 1904 for the 1905 Souvenir History, WCHS; Extracted in it’s entirety)