The Editor's Graphomania

T
his week celebrates two important organizations, Newspapers and 4-H.  National 4-H Week celebrates the nation’s largest youth development organization that helps develop confident kids who work on issues that matter in their communities. There is a deep sense of 4-H tradition within Weston County, encompassing multiple generations of families. Today, 4-H remains a strong program due to its dedicated leaders, volunteers, and members. You can find more about Weston County 4-H including, photos and story excerpts from 4-H members on page 18, sponsored by RT Communications.
It is also National Newspaper Week, and for this week’s editorial we invite you step back in time, almost 50 years to the day, and read the words written by James R. Parrish to draw the public’s attention to the important role of the newspaper industry as well as the continual efforts of the News Letter Journal to serve the Weston County area in a competent and newsworthy manner.       
 
This is National Newspaper Week and we like all organizations and businesses having a “week” for themselves bring it to the public attention.
A free and unmanaged press is one of the great products of our system of government and one of its most important guarantors.
This is the 80th year of publication of the News Letter Journal in one form or another.
An outstanding feature of the establishment of this newspaper 80 years ago is that it was started two months before the founding of the city of Newcastle.
The history of the News Letter Journal is as such:
The Stockade Journal was printed in Tub Town and moved enmasse with the Tub Town residents to Newcastle.
In 1890, the Newcastle News was established.
The Stockade Journal and Newcastle News were consolidated in the latter part of 1891 and called the Newcastle News-Journal.
The Upton News Letter was organized at Upton but was sold and the organizers took over the Weston County Gazette. The News Letter was moved to Newcastle where it operated for a number of years and finally it was combined with the Newcastle News-Journal forming the present News Letter Journal.
The present publisher, J. R. Parrish purchased the News Letter Journal in 1937. The paper was for many years at the building on South Sumner, presently occupied by Thomas L. Whitley, attorney, and formerly by Butler Studio.
Twenty years ago this week, the News Letter Journal moved to its present location at 14 West Main. So with 80 years behind the News Letter Journal, we hope to continue to serve the Weston County area in a competent and newsworthy manner.       
 
James R. Parrish Oct. 9, 1969 News Letter Journal