About Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859
Pomeroy [Ohio] (1848-1859)

Meigs County Times, Meigs County Telegraph and Pomeroy Weekly Telegraph

On November 1, 1843, the Meigs County Times published its first issue, making it the first newspaper in this southeastern Ohio county. It was established by Zaccheus Beatty at the county seat, Pomeroy, to support the interests of the Whig Party. Orlando B. Chapman and Robert T. Van Horn soon joined the paper. Chapman was known for writing editorials that reflected his strong convictions. His wit and sarcasm “inflicted upon his opponents wounds not easily healed” [Hardesty’s Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia (1883)]. After leaving the Telegraph, he went on to publish a number of other papers in Ohio, including the short-lived Civil-War era Columbus Union League. 

Throughout its existence, the Telegraph suffered from a lack of financial support and experienced a number of changes in both editorship and ownership but was still considered influential. In 1848, the paper’s name was changed to the Meigs County Telegraph. It bore the motto “One Country—One Constitution—One Destiny.” Following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the dissolution of the Whig Party in 1854, the Telegraph began to support Republican interests. It was particularly committed to the abolition of slavery, stating in its March 21, 1854 issue that “the Congress of the United States, by the passage of the Nebraska bill, would commit ‘a great outrage upon the rights of others’ and ‘disgrace the country.’” Alfred Thomson, who had purchased the paper from Van Horn in 1852, changed the motto in 1856 to “Independent in all things—Neutral in nothing.” The Telegraph was “Devoted to Politics, Literature, Agriculture, Commerce, Markets and General Intelligence,” printing items of state and local political news, poetry, letters to the editor, and advertisements.

Tobias S. Plants became editor of the Telegraph in 1858 “with diffidence, having had no experience in journalism.” Under his leadership, the paper continued its commitment to Republican Party principles and its name was changed to the Pomeroy Weekly Telegraph in 1860. A few years later, in 1867, Chapman returned to Pomeroy and the paper, once again published as the Meigs County Telegraph, only to leave in 1874 to serve as a representative to the Ohio State Legislature. His successor was Elmer S. Trussell whose efforts increased the paper’s popularity. Subscriptions more than doubled, and the Telegraph became one of the top ranking weekly country papers in the state, alongside two other southeastern Ohio papers, the Marietta Register and the Ironton Register.

In 1894, the Union Printing Company was formed when the Telegraph merged with the Racine Tribune to form the Tribune-Telegraph. The paper merged with the Middleport Republican in 1918, consolidating the number of newspapers that served the residents of Meigs County. From 1927 to 1941, it was also published as the Daily Tribune. The paper ceased publication in 1943. 

Provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH