About The Huntington advertiser. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1885-1979
Huntington, W. Va. (1885-1979)

Huntington Advertiser and The Huntington Advertiser

In 1874, the Huntington Independent and the Cabell County Press merged to form the Huntington Advertiser. As the Advertiser's first editor John Jay Gilbert proudly declared in the inaugural issue, the paper "is at once lifted to a place before the people that must command the attention of the business public," and speculated its circulation "will exceed that of any other journal in the Ohio Valley." Gilbert's words correctly prophesied a long and influential run for the Huntington Advertiser, which continued publication for more than a century.

Published weekly, the four-page Advertiser provided readers with a wide array of local, regional, and national news, business affairs, social events, and advertisements. The paper promoted the industrial development of both the newly incorporated city of Huntington and the state, hoping for the day "when West Virginia will take her place as one of the richest States of the Union." Politically, the Advertiser firmly supported the Democratic Party throughout its existence.

Given its long tenure, the Advertiser changed ownership and editors regularly. Within a few months of publication, John Gilbert sold the paper to former Confederate officer William S. Downer. By 1880, the paper belonged to Edward and Emory Bennett. In 1885, Cameron Thompson, another former Confederate officer and longtime editor of The Mountain Herald, purchased the Advertiser; in 1889, Thompson began publication of a daily iteration—Daily Advertiser —which lasted for seven years. By the 1890s, the Advertiser belonged to James G. Downtain, a former Union sergeant who published The Knapsack during the Civil War and edited the Putnam Democrat prior to acquiring the Advertiser.

In 1894, a fire destroyed the offices of the Huntington Advertiser, prompting the sale of the paper to Joseph H. Long, who would manage the paper for over sixty years. A veteran publisher and previous owner of the local The Daily Herald, Long's Democratic politics encouraged him to sell the Herald and purchase the Advertiser. And indeed, in subsequent years, the Advertiser and Herald routinely clashed on political matters. In 1924, Long built new, modern offices for the Advertiser at the corner of 5^th Avenue and 10^th Street at a cost of approximately $200,000.

Provided by: West Virginia University