The Jackson Herald is a paper in Ripley, West Virginia.[2] It is owned by Gatehouse Media, with a print circulation of about 4,900.[1]

Jackson Herald
TypeWeekly newspaper
Owner(s)GateHouse Media
EditorRoger Adkins
Founded1876
Headquarters410 Race Street, Ravenswood, Jackson County, WV 26164
Circulation4,900 (as of 2016)[1]
Websitejacksonnewspapers.com

History edit

Established in 1876, the Jackson Herald began as a Republican weekly.[3]

In 1897, the paper, under editor Henry Deem, covered the last public execution in the state of West Virginia, the Ripley hanging of John Morgan.[4] In addition to eyewitness accounts and local commentary, the paper published the extensive coverage of the hanging written by special representative of the New York Sun sent down to observe it. Deem said that it was "an extremely extravagant exaggeration of weird wonders but left out none of the details."[5] The story outlined a scene sensational and embarrassing enough that the state legislature passed a bill prohibiting public executions, one of the earlier bans in the South.[6]

Deem died in May 1915.[7]

Sattis Simmons took the editorship of the paper in 1922.[8] The paper would remain connected with the Simmons family until 1995.

In 1995, the Herald was bought from the Simmons family by the group owning the Jackson Star. The paper was folded into a holding company called Jackson Newspapers, but continued to publish as a separate entity.[9]

It is currently owned by the New Media Investment Group under the GateHouse Media brand.[10]

Resources edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b 2016 West Virginia Press Association Newspaper Directory (PDF). West Virginia Press Association. 2016.
  2. ^ "Newspapers Currently Received in the West Virginia Archives and History Library" (PDF). West Virginia Division of Culture and History. State of West Virginia. December 2016.
  3. ^ West Virginia Legislative Hand Book and Manual and Official Register. 1922.
  4. ^ Clancy, Martin; O'Brien, Tim (2013-02-19). Murder at the Supreme Court: Lethal Crimes and Landmark Cases. Prometheus Books. ISBN 9781616146498.
  5. ^ "Last Public Hanging in West Virginia". Jackson Herald. 9 March 1951.
  6. ^ "Site of last public hanging in West Virginia marked in Jackson County". West Virginia Metro News. 15 December 2014.
  7. ^ Lancaster, Frank H.; Birmingham, Ernest F. (1915). Fourth Estate: A Weekly Newspaper for Publishers, Advertisers, Advertising Agents and Allied Interests. Fourth Estate Publishing Company.
  8. ^ "Ripley Newspaper Passes Milestone". The Charleston Daily Mail. 20 April 1932. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Former Newspaper Workers Help Buy Jackson Herald". Charleston Daily Mail. 5 January 1995. p. 6A.
  10. ^ "2016 Annual Report" (PDF). New Media Investment Group. p. 37.