About Maumee express. [volume] (Maumee City, Ohio) 1837-1838
Maumee City, Ohio (1837-1838)

Maumee Express and Maumee City Express

The first issue of the Maumee Express was published on March 25, 1837, in Maumee City, Ohio, then the commercial center and seat of Lucas County. Calvin Frary printed and published the weekly newspaper for several citizen proprietors. This group of men refused to align the paper with any single political party, instead declaring their intent to print only the “strictest truth” and provide a “bright look out upon the movements of all parties” with the goal of promoting the specific interests of their neighborhood and city, which they deemed “matter… of equal importance.” With these goals in mind, the Express printed local and state news, reporting on progress on the Miami and Erie Canal, Indian removal, economic development, banking, and business.  The paper also offered poetry, fiction, and coverage of religious matters. Located on the remote Northwest frontier, Maumee at first seemed far removed from national news and politics. However, by the following year, the newspaper became affiliated with the Whigs, published a number of articles on political topics, and supported the party’s national candidates.

The Express circulated on a 22x33 inch sheet at a price of $3 per year if paid within the first six months and $3.50 thereafter. In the beginning, Frary reported difficulties in production, and two weeks transpired before the second issue was printed. After the publication of only six issues, control of the paper came to John H. Brown, who had previously worked on a paper in Tiffin, Ohio. Within two weeks, Brown sold the Express to three local law partners, Henry Reed, Jr., Hezekiah L. Hosmer, and Stephen T. Hosmer, who took charge of the mechanics of the paper. Under their leadership, the publication’s name was changed to Maumee City Express in July 1838. The editors explained this “slight addition” to the title as a way to “identify [the paper] more closely with our town; the name of ‘Maumee’ having in common use, a general application to the whole valley of the river. We judged this to be somewhat important in a publication intended to answer a local, rather than a general purpose.” Reed, having previously been in charge of the Miami of the Lake at nearby Perrysburg, Ohio, served as editor until the paper went out of business in about 1840.

Provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH