100. 100th blog post: 1903 Winchester Newspaper Building Comes Down

Winchester Journal-Herald, Dec. 1966
by A. M. Gibbons, 52 years ago.

  One of Winchester's landmarks, and a landmark in the history of the city's newspapers, came down this past week as Jim Grove's demolition crew made short work of its old-fashioned brick walls.
  This was the former News and Journal-Herald building located in the 100 block on North Meridian street, site of a newspaper building for possibly over 100 years. The stone steps leading into the building were worn down in the center by the thousands of feet which had walked up and down them since it was erected 63 years ago. With the exception of the front facing, the brick for the structure was made in this community in a brickyard operated at the turn of the century by Charlie Kelly, north of Winchester which was originally the Martin Tile and Brick Company. The building was abandoned three years ago by the present newspaper organization which needed more space for offices and modern press equipment. Buildings adjacent to it were destroyed a year ago in a Christmas night fire, and plans to demolish the outmoded newspaper site followed.
  The 1882 Randolph County History relates that the Gazette, a very early Winchester newspaper, was purchased sometime between 1876 and 1878 by E. L. Watson, a local attorney, and sold by 1878 to John Commons. Watson had renamed the paper the "Herald". His grandson, John Watson, is certain that a wooden building predated the brick structure which is the subject of this article, stood on the same site. Since the Herald's ancestor, the Gazette, was founded in 1853 it is possible, though not established at this writing, that there has been a newspaper office in the same place in Winchester for 110 years.

  In 1901, Seward Watson, son of E. L. Watson, became sole owner of the paper, having been part owner for some years previously. Two years later, in 1903, Seward Watson built the brick news building. In 1926 he purchased the Journal, and combined the two weeklies into a semi-weekly, the Journal-Herald. Within the next few years, the Journal-Herald was sold to J. M. Bridgman, and then purchased from him by the Journal Herald Corporation in 1937, with the late Robert M. Kist as editor. The corporation also purchased another Winchester paper, the "News" and combined the two into the present News and Journal Herald. At this point the newspaper became a daily. For some years, printing was done at Portland, but from 1940 the daily was printed in Winchester. (In the days of the Watson ownership and earlier, printing was done locally, mostly with hand-set type and hand-fed presses.
  In 1962 the Gazette Publishing Company purchased the stock of the Journal-Herald Corporation and the following year the old building was abandoned for larger quarters at the newspaper's present location on West Franklin street.
  Not only does the demolition of the old building bring to a close a tradition of publication on the same site, it revives among older residents memories of men who have learned their trade on a small town paper and gone on to make names for themselves in the publishing world, in the days when news reporting was regarded as a most glamorous profession.

  Among those who worked for the Herald or Journal Herald at one time in the last half-century were the late Frank Litschert, brother of Cecil and Ralph Litschert of Winchester, who became part owner and editor of the "National Republic," the official GOP publication in Washington, D. C.: the late Arthur Remmel, who became city editor of the Fort Wayne "News Sentinal": Jack Ferris of Muncie, now retired, for many years managing editor of the Muncie "Star"; the late Jody Miller, onetime dramatic critic and feature writer for the Indianapolis "Star": Homer Peel, who became editor of the Cambridge City newspaper. Also included, in more recent years are Jerry Davis, a former editor of the News and Journal Herald, now an editor of the REMC magazine "Rural Indiana"; and Tony Sollenbarger, former apprentice printer with the local paper, who is now night superintendent at the Dayton Daily News and Herald.

Gone. 

  The basement where the marks of the old hand-press could still be seen is filled in with rubble of the bricks from the walls of the building and the ground is smoothed over leaving no trace at all of a company's memories. These memories have included news of all kinds, the locally important daily happenings with which every small town newspaper concerns itself, and the national and worldwide events which become the tragedies and triumphs of world history. They have also included the private triumphs and worries of many hopeful editors, reporters, printers and newsboys, concerned with getting the news in print and to the public, day in and day out.
  Although the newspaper has moved its location, and in a physical sense the demolition of the old building brings a tradition to a close, it is the hope of the present publishers and staff that the tradition of news gathering and public service will be continued for many years to come.

(Ed. Note: Source material for this story has been obtained from John Watson of Winchester whose family was engaged in newspaper work in this community from the post Civil War period through the first three decades of the 20th century; from Cecil Litschert, brother of the late Frank Litschert; from the papers staff; from the 1882 Tucker History and from county records.)

______________________

Want to learn more?
Visit The Museum.
     Hours vary with volunteer availability. Check the website or Facebook for current open to the public hours or call/message/email to arrange an appointment.
Facebook group: Randolph County Indiana Historical and Genealogical Society

Visit the website.
     Here is a link to the cemetery database.  https://rchsmuseum.org/cemeteries-database

Follow the blog.
     Scroll to the right or below the article to click "FOLLOW" to get email updates as soon as a blog is uploaded.  This is a great feature to share with family and friends who are not active on social media.