Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/131

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

under that name until Jan u ary, i860, when it was bought by Capt. Charles B. Brockway. and merged into the Columbian. T h e paper was, under all its names and v a m n g fortunes, consistently Democratic in its politics, and was alw ays deservedly influcnlial. O f its editors, Ingram went from here to Pottsville, M ills to N ew Jersey, T ate to Williamsport. T he S tar of the North was established by Reuben W. Wcaver and Benjamin S. Gilmore, Feb. t, Gilmore retired A u g. I, 1850, and the paper was continued by Nlr. W eaver until his death, l)ec. 2. 1857. It was subse­ quently sold by his administrator and bought by Williamson H . Jacoby in Jan u ary, 1858. l 4c published it until Oct. 16, 1862, when he went into the army, and the paper was sus­ pended until August. 186^, when he r e tu r n s and resumed the publication. It was carried on under the old name until February, 1866, w'hen it was consolidated with the Columbia Democrat, then owned by E lijah R . Ikeler, as the Democrat and Star. A t the end o f about seven months Mr. Ikeler sold his interest in the establishment lo Josiah P. Shuman, and Jacoby and Shuman ran the paper until Ja n ­ uary, 1867, when M r. Shuman retired, Jacoby continuing the paper as the Bloom sburg Democrat until la n u a ^, 1869, when he sold it to Capt. Charles B . Brockway, who merged it into the Columbian. The Ct»/Mwii>ia C ountR epublican was estab­ lished in Bloomsburg M arch i, 1857, by Dr. Palcmon John. In 1069 he sold the paper to a Slock company, and Dr. William H. Bradley was editor. D r. Bradley and L ew is Gordon subsequently purchased the paper, and in 18 7 1 sold it to Daniel A. Beckley and John S. Phillips, who became the publishers, the edi­ torial department being managed by M r. BcckIcy. In 18 7 3 KW ardin bought the interest o f John S. Phillips, and not long a fte r that of Daniel A. Beckley and became the sole pro­ prietor. On the first o f August, 1875, Jam es C. Brown purchased the paper from E. M. W ardin, and fo r a number o f years conducted it with D. A. Bcckley as associate editor. Mr. B e c k k y retired, and Mr. Brown continued as sole proprietor until 1908, when he sold the paper to O. B. .Ammcnnan, and subsequently the ownership was changed into a stock com­ pany, with Mr. Ammcrman as president. It was published and managed by C. W. Matthews as a semi-weekly, for the company, fo r a short time, when M r. Matthews retired ,m<l John S. Woo<ls succeeded him. T he pres­ ent owner is the Bloomsburg Publishing Com|jany, and Charles E. Kesty is the editor.

T he Columbian was established in Blooms­ burg M ay 5, 1866, as the organ of the Johnson Republicans, under the management o f George H. Moore, who published thirty-five numbers. T he good will, subscription Kst and material were then purchased by a number o f Demo­ crats of the county, and placed under the charge o f John G. Freeze, Jan. 4, 1867, as a Democratic newspaper, beginning Vol. 1, No. i. lie continued until Feb. 15, 1867, when Capt. Charles B. Brockway became associated with him, and eventually bought up the stock and took entire chaige and ownersliip of the paper. It was enlarged Ju ly I 2, 1867. and beran to be printed on a steampower press. On the 1st o f Jan u ary. 1869, by the purchase of the Blootnsburg Deniocrat from Mr. Jacoby, the Columbian became the sole Democratic paper in the county. On the 1st of Jan u ary, 18 7 1, Ilcn ry L. IMcfTcnbach Ixiught the paper and published it one year, when Captain Brockw av resumed the control. In Ju ly, 1873, .Mr. Dic^fcnbach again took the paper, and continued until Oct. I, 1875, when O iarles B. Brockw ay and George E. Elw ell purchased it. T liey con­ tinued il to Oct. I. 1879, when Captain Brockway retired, and on fflat day John K. Bittenbender purchased Brockw ay's interest in the paM f, and the publishing firm became Elw ell & Bittenbender. It continued under this man­ agement until Feb. 20, 1893, when M r. Rittcnbcndcr .sold his interest to George E. Elw ell, who became the sole proprietor. In September, 1909, M r. Hlwcll associated with him his son, G- In w a rd Elw ell, J r ., and on A pril t. 19 10, the son became a partner, the firm name changing to Geoige E. Elw ell & Son. On A pril 7. 19 10 . the publication o f ihe Columbian ceased, for the reason that the jo b printing part of the business had so increased as to demand all the time of the proprietors, and the further reason that the financial re­ turns from a weekly ncw'spapcr were no longer commensurate with the lauor required. P rop ­ ositions to sell the paper, and to consolidate with another, were lx>th declined, and the csiablishmcnt retains the name of the "C olu m ­ bian Printing House,” by which it has been known for the List forty-six years. From Jan u ary, 1867, the Columbian w as Democratic in politics, and devoted to the gen­ eral ]X)licy o f that jiarty. In October, 1 ^ 1, the office w as moved into its own three-story brick building. 25 by 75 feet, erected especially fo r it, on Main street. T he presses arc run by electric power, and in all its appointments the office is one of the finest printing establish­ ments in the interior of the State.