Thursday, May 12, 2022

Gazette has Roots in Staunton and Gillespie

Pictured: Bunker Hill Gazette-News on SW corner of N. Washington and W. Fayette St.

    The Staunton Banner first appeared March 8, 1858, owned and edited by Parsons Percy, who bought the office from Monroe County.  He continued publication until 1860 when it was purchased and removed to Gillespie by A.W. Edwards, and in November of 1860 the first issued appeared in Gillespie as the Union and Gazette.  This paper continued under Edwards until 1863 when Edwards enlisted in the Union Army.  The publication continued for sometime afterwards by Alonzo James, but when he enlisted, the publication was suspended.

    The first Newspaper printed in Bunker Hill was the Bunker Hill Journal, five column paper with E.J. Bronson as editor and publisher.  The first issue was December 8, 1859 and the last in May 1860.

    When Edwards returned from the war in 1865, he moved the printing office from Gillespie to Bunker Hill, and resumed the publication as the Union-Gazette, with the first issue being published January 19, 1866.

Edwards continued publication until January 31, 1867 when he sold to Dr. A.R. Sawyer and F.Y. Hedley.  Dr. Sawyer died in May 1867.  In 1871, the name of the paper was changed with the word Union dropping out.

    Hedley continued as editor and proprietor until January 1, 1878, when W.S. Silence became editor.  This arrangement continued until January 24, 1879 when it was leased to Mr. Said and Mr. Poorran of Charleston, who published until July 1879.  At that time, Hedley, then the postmaster, resumed the editorship.

...Read this and other Bunker Hill, IL historical stories at https://bunkerhillhistory.org/

--Cite this story: The Bunker Hill IL Historical Society. "A Look Back in Bunker Hill History." Bunker Hill Gazette-News, May 12, 2022.

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