Port Clinton’s Early Newspapers - Linda Higgins

Newspapers have been replaced, to a great extent, by tech media, but Port Clinton’s first hundred years presented readers with a lively parade of local newspapers. The print companies were located downtown and local business ads shared space with news and human interest stories, not only from this area, but also from elsewhere in the country and world.
J.K. Newcomer founded the Ottawa County Democrat in 1858. Andrew Goodrich, the publisher, had his print shop in the Lake Hotel on Perry Street. John P. Foulk became publisher when Goodrich died tragically and was a news story himself: Goodrich took the “Bonnie Boat” to Fremont to conduct business and was returning the following day when the boat made its stop at Plasterbed station. Mr. Goodrich didn’t disembark, as he was talking with someone. When Captain Slackford noticed that Goodrich was still on board he backed into the dock and Goodrich prepared to jump. The boat lurched in the rough waters, throwing Mr. Goodrich overboard between the boat and the cofferdam. He was injured seriously and died within hours. In 1862, Newcomer sold the paper to a Mr. Williston, who suspended publication when he enlisted in the 41st O.V.I., then continued publication after the war.
In 1860, Andrew DeWitt founded a paper that published intermittently. In January 1865, the Ottawa County Union, with W.B. Sloan as editor and publisher, opened its office on Perry Street. George Rogers Clark and George D. Kinder introduced the Ottawa County News in March of 1865. Shortly thereafter, Kinder bought a paper in Putnam County and Mr. Clark become sole owner of the News. When Clark was elected to the office of Clerk of the Court in 1872, R. Stanbury and Daniel Taylor took his place. They sold to David Stalter and John Bollmeyer two years later. Eventually, they each bought papers out of town, also.
An independent Republican paper, the Ottawa County Reporter, was established in 1874, with Will Axline as publisher. The national Republican ticket was published in the October issue of that paper, with Rutherford B. Hayes running for president and William A. Wheeler of New York for vice president.
George Clark retired as clerk of the Court in 1878 and became editor of the Ottawa County News for ten more years, then sold it to N.R. Webster. As is true of most of the other papers of this time, the reports of its demise in 1895 are unclear.
Other papers appeared: the Lake Shore Bulletin in 1881, A.W. Courchaine, editor; the Ottawa County Republican, published by J.W. Greiser in 1886 or ‘87. In 1893 editor S. Kuesthardt started a German paper, The Zeitung. In 1917 Kuesthardt changed it to an English paper called The Progressive Times. When he died in 1921, his estate continued the paper’s publication until 1931.
A.G. Winnie and Ed Bauman bought the Ottawa County Republican in 1895. Shortly thereafter, J.H. Faus succeeded Bauman as partner. Winnie eventually became the sole owner. In 1892 W.H. Althoff purchased the Lake Shore Bulletin and renamed it the Ottawa County Democrat. By 1895 he was editor and manager of Ottawa County News and Ottawa County Democrat, merging them as the Ottawa County News Democrat. J.H. Faus became editor and proprietor of the Ottawa County Herald, founded in September 1902. When Faus died, his son Alvin became publisher.
James Maxwell consolidated the Ottawa County Herald and the Ottawa County Republican into the Republican Herald in 1925. Then in 1927, William Krupp bought that paper and renamed it the Port Clinton Herald and Republican, Walter Krupp, editor. By 1931 the News Democrat and The Progressive Times had merged as the Ottawa County News, which was leased in 1932 by Ralph Snyder. This paper was purchased by Robert Reider, Inc., Oak Harbor, in 1950.
Our first one hundred years paved the way for today’s communication modes. Well into our second hundred years of Port Clinton’s newspapers, our printed news choices are far fewer. Our world has become much smaller due to technology and we have numerous news sources other than print. My favorite, though, remains the newspaper that leaves a healthy film of ink on my hands.
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