The Tri-States Union was first issued in a small building somewhere near where the Hubbard Building now stands, opposite the Fowler House and the present Erie depot (1908). Later it was removed to the old frame building Nos. 55-57 Pike street, now the four-story brick structure built by George Lea and occupied by Mason & Son, druggists. The early 60's found it located on Pike street, over the Union store, in the second floor of the two-story frame structure at No. 100 Pike street now (March, 1908) occupied as the Central or Northrup's meat market. Thence it was removed by Foster & Mitchell (1870) to the Creegan Block, No. 76 Pike street, over what is now Laidley's drug store. Next (1872) it was removed to the rear of St. John & Malven's, now the Gordon Company foundry building, on Sussex street. In 1873 it was removed to No. 81 Pike street, now Collin's news and confectionery store, and in 1882 to its present location No. 112 Pike street, in the Farnum Block.
Port Jervis has survived many severe temperance agitations. The most acute stage seems to have been in the extreme youth of the place—when impressions ought to be most lasting and beneficial. Between 1852 and 1855, it had three papers devoted to the cause of temperance. The first was the Mirror of Temperance started in June, 1852, by J. L. Barlow and John Dow. This Mirror reflected its surroundings for about eighteen months, and then faded away. It was a handsome paper, well printed and ably edited.
In 1853 an Englishman, John Williams, took up the fight where the Mirror dropped it, and started The Sentinel. With the proverbial pugnacity of a "Johnny Bull," Mr. Williams thought he needed more paper weapons with which to fight the "drink evil," and so, in the autumn of 1854 he issued a campaign paper which he called The Precursor of Temperance, and which died with the fall campaign. The Sentinel lived until 1855, in which year Mr. Williams went to Middletown and in the Whig Press office began issuing the Hardwareman's Newspaper, the precursor of the Iron Age, the leading organ to-day of the iron industry in this country, and which is now—-or was recently—published by his son, David Williams, in New York City.
April 22, 1869, James Henry Norton and William Henry Nearpass began the publication of the Evening Gazette. It was a five-column folio, set in bourgeois type, was published tri-weekly, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Soon afterward appeared the weekly edition, The Family Gazette, afterward changed to The Port Jervis Weekly Gazette. It was started on the third floor of the brick building then just built by Cook & Burrell as an umbrella factory at No. 92 Pike street, now (March, 1908), occupied by Johnson & Stoll's furniture store. Thence it moved to Westbrook's Hall, the third floor of the building now occupied by the J. W. Dalley Co., Nos. 66-68 Pike street; thence to its present quarters in the Mondon Building, 90 Pike street, corner of Pike and Ball streets. The tri-weekly became a daily afternoon issue, January 17, 1881. It is now a well-equipped office, has a Mergenthaler Linotype machine, and all the accessories of a good country newspaper.
E. G. Fowler's Morning Call appeared on Sunday morning, April 4, 1880. It was printed in the Masterson Building, No. 10 Ball street. The Morning Index appeared in an upper floor of the Hornbeck Building, now the Swift Beef House on Jersey avenue. The Sunbeams and Farm Guide were issued from The Union office, and Church Life and Academy Miscellany from The Gazette office. The Bulletin is the name of a two-column folio that is issued occasionally in political and exciting local campaigns, from the press of printer P. J. Gaudy, on Ball street. It doesn't appear very often, but when it does it makes a sensation.
AT WARWICK.
The beautiful village of Warwick, the "Queen Village" of New York State, has two well-established, ably-edited, well-printed and influential weekly newspapers, reflecting with no exaggeration the sentiment and conditions of the Warwick valley—a land rich in nature's bounties, lavishly endowed with all the charms of rural romanticism and pastoral fervency.
The first paper published in Warwick, so far as present records are obtainable, was the Doctrinal Advocate and Monitor. It was probably started as early as 1845—possibly earlier—and was edited or conducted by Elder Jewett as an exponent of the Old School Baptist doctrine. In 1846 this Monitor was merged with Elder Gilbert Beebe's Signs of the Times, and for a while the latter paper was published under both titles.
The second paper started there was the Warwick Advertiser, the first number of which made its appearance January 27, 1866. It was a well-printed, neat, newsy, and bright paper from the first, and age not only does not dim its luster, but seems to add to its sprightliness. Its first editor and proprietor was Leonard Cox, who was an elder in the Old School Baptist church of Warwick for a few years. It was independent, or rather neutral, in politics, but catered to the religious and moral sentiment as well as the local interests of the community, from its inception, and has never ceased to act as a propagandist theological, political, social and formal. Within three years Elder Cox sold the plant to John L. Servin, a local lawyer and farmer, a man of high standing and education. In 1873 Mr. Servin transferred the business to his associate editor, Daniel F. Welling, a practical printer, but took back the concern within the year and soon afterward sold the same to Samuel J. Stewart and Joshua C. Wilson. A few years later Mr. Wilson sold his interest to Dewitt C. Demorest, a workman in the office, who, after a year or two, transferred his share back to Mr. Stewart, who remained sole proprietor until April 1, 1882, when the plant was purchased by its present owner and able editor, Hiram Tate. Under Mr. Tate's management the Advertiser became an advocate of the politics of the republican party, of which it has since remained a staunch and fearless supporter. The Advertiser has been a factor of no little importance in the growth and general well-being of the village and Warwick valley. After a careful campaign of education on that special subject, it was largely instrumental in bringing about the now very popular and certainly sensible style of fenceless dooryards and lawns, so prevalent in Warwick as to excite the admiration of all tasteful visitors, and one of the distinguishing factors in earning for the place the well-merited title of the "Queen Village." It was also largely through the efforts of the Advertiser that a teacher in music and elocution has been added to the Warwick schools. Other betterments in local affairs have been brought about by this paper's efforts, and the Advertiser is certainly a paper of high tone and a credit to the Warwick valley.
The third newspaper to make its appearance in Warwick was the Warwick Valley Dispatch, which has been a success from its start. It was established in June, 1885, by George F. Ketchum, who has since been its fearless editor and publisher. The Dispatch has prospered under Mr. Ketchum's continuous and wise management of nearly twenty-three years, and has been a potent factor in shaping the progressive development of the village and town of Warwick. Its columns have been especially devoted to school improvement, the Dispatch and its editor taking a leading part in the movement for two modern brick school houses—primary and high school—during the twelve years that Mr. Ketchum served as a member of the Warwick board of education, he being president of the board when the high school was built. It is generally acknowledged that the successful outcome of this agitation was largely due to the influence of the Dispatch and its editor. The paper has been a leader in all efforts to secure improvements for the village and the valley, especially for increased water supply, fine streets, and roads, and the development of Warwick as a summer resort. The paper also heartily advanced the formation of the Warwick Valley Telephone Company, the Warwick Realty Company and the Warwick Knife Company. Politically the Dispatch is democratic, and is recognized as the most influential exponent of democracy in this section of the State. For a dozen years its editor has been chairman of the democratic county committee, during which time the influence of the Dispatch has been markedly shown in shaping the policy of the party in Orange County, and in the favorable results achieved for its candidates at the polls, although the county has a normal republican majority. The paper has gained a large local circulation because of its newsy features, and is respected for its fairness and fearlessness in controversy. The Dispatch was started as a nine-column four-page newspaper, and was first printed in a small frame building on Main street, adjoining the Warwick Valley Hotel. Since 1889 it has been comfortably housed in a brick structure known as "The Dispatch Building," which was erected on Main street by Thomas Burd, and is equipped with modern presses and a Simplex typesetting machine. Although Mr. Ketchum has always personally controlled the editorial policy of the Dispatch, Isaac W. Litchfield was a partner with him in its business from 1889 to 1894, and much of the reputation of the Dispatch is due to his bright humor and facile pen.