Frostburg Mining Journal

The Frostburg Mining Journal was a weekly newspaper published in Frostburg, Maryland from September 30, 1871, to April 18, 1913, and then again briefly from 1915 to 1917.[1][2]

Frostburg Mining Journal
TypeWeekly newspaper
Founder(s)J. Benson Oder
FoundedSeptember 30, 1871
Ceased publicationApril 18, 1913
Relaunched1915-1917
HeadquartersFrostburg, Maryland
OCLC number11681313

History

It was founded by J.R. Grove and J. Benson Oder; the latter had previously served in the Confederate army under Stonewall Jackson.[3] On February 25, 1872, C.H. Walker took over for Grove until Oder purchased his interest and assumed sole proprietorship of the paper in 1873.[4] He continued his role as editor until the paper was sold and renamed in 1913, even while being elected to Maryland's House of Delegates in 1877.[4] After the newspaper's publishing company failed in 1913, Peter L. Livengood bought its printing plant and subscription list and commenced publishing that September under the new name The Frostburg Spirit, which was considered the successor to the Mining Journal.[5] Livengood announced in 1915 that he had sold the Spirit to Lawrence Hitchens, with J. Benson Oder returning as editor, and that the publication would resume its former name of Frostburg Mining Journal. He published an announcement in the January 28, 1915 issue of the Spirit stating, "My only reason for selling The Spirit can be summed up in two words--poor health."[6] The second iteration of the Mining Journal would only run for a few short years before stopping publication in June 1917.[7]

Content

The Mining Journal was a four-page sheet, seven column paper.[4] It concerned itself mainly with local events and community issues, with a few major events capturing its attention over the course of its publication.[8] The first of these was a large fire which destroyed a large part of downtown Frostburg in 1874; another was the Great Strike of 1892, which Oder and the paper were sympathetic towards. An advertisement was placed in the paper by miners in April 1873 calling for a meeting to form a union "for the better protection of [their] interests."[9] Oder's editorials during the 1880s were supportive of organized labor associations and of the striking coal miners in the region.[10][11]

References
  1. "About Frostburg mining journal". Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  2. Feldstein, Albert L. (1987). Historic Newspapers of Allegany County. Vol. II. Cumberland, Maryland.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. Portrait and Biographical Record of the Sixth Congressional District, Maryland Containing Portraits and Biographies of Many Well Known Citizens of the Past and Present: Together with Portraits and Biographies of All the Presidents of the United States. Chapman Publishing Company. 1898. p. 521.
  4. Scharf, John Thomas (2003). History of Western Maryland: Being a History of Frederick, Montgomery, Carroll, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties from the Earliest Period to the Present Day, Including Biographical Sketches of Their Representative Men. Vol. 1 (Illustrated, reprint ed.). Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 1479. ISBN 0806345659.
  5. "About The Frostburg spirit". Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  6. Livengood, P.L. (January 28, 1915). "Valedictory". The Frostburg Spirit. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  7. "About Frostburg mining journal". Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  8. Thomas, James Walter; Chew Williams, Thomas John (1923). History of Allegany County, Maryland Including Its Aboriginal History; the Colonial and Revolutionary Period; Its Settlement by the White Race and Subsequent Growth; a Description of Its Valuable Mining, Industrial and Agricultural Interests; Sketches of Its Cities, Towns and Districts; Master Spirits; Character Sketches of Founders; Military and Professional Men, Etc. Allegany County, Maryland: Higginson Book Company.
  9. Brugger, Robert J. (1996). Maryland, A Middle Temperament: 1634-1980 (Illustrated, reprint, revised ed.). JHU Press. p. 339. ISBN 0801854652.
  10. Harvey, Katherine A. (1969). The Best-Dressed Miners: Life and Labor in the Maryland Coal Region, 1835-1910 (Illustrated ed.). Cornell University Press. The Best-Dressed Miners: Life and Labor in the Maryland Coal Region, 1835-1910.
  11. Johnson, David (2018). "Maryland Mines". Mining Artifacts and History Website. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
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