A. M. E. Church Buys The Mystery
In 1848, the African Methodist Episcopal Church purchased The Mystery of Pittsburgh, Pa., of which Martin Delaney was editor. During the four years of its existence in Pittsburgh, the paper was known as the Christian Herald. In 1852, the paper was moved to Philadelphia, and its name was changed to Christian Recorder. Rev, M. M. Clarke became its first editor.
Christian Recorder Oldest Negro Newspaper
The beginning of the Christian Recorder in 1852, marks the founding of the oldest Negro newspaper in existence today. It is also significant in that it marks the first serious attempt in Negro Journalism to establish a religious newspaper. The early years of the paper were beset with many difficulties, and oftimes the paper was not issued regularly. Not until Elisha Weaver became editor in 1861 did it appear weekly. The size of the paper has increased from 5 columns, 4 pages, 12 by 16 inches, in 1848, to its present size, 4 columns, 16 pages, 10 by 16 inches.
The present circulation of the paper is about 5,000. Its editor is R. R. Wright Jr., who received the degree of Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1911.
Negro Journalism on Pacific Coast
The year 1855 saw Negro Journalism starting on the Pacific coast. Within a space of less than thirty years Negro Journalism had made its way from the Atlantic to the Pacific seaboard. The first publication was established at San Francisco under the name of The Mirror of the Times. Its editor was Judge Gibbs. It was published for seven years, and in 1862 was merged into The Pacific Appeal.
The Herald of Freedom
Another contemporary of the North Star was The Herald of Freedom, published in 1855, in Ohio, by Peter H. Clark. It was short-lived but during its existence it was one of the best advocates of Abolition. Its editor was a man of good common sense and vast knowledge. After the suspension of his paper, Clark was associated with Douglass on the North Star.
The Anglo-African