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Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper The West Virginia Journal (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877

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About The West Virginia Journal (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877

Charleston’s West Virginia Journal was the product of two Ohio brothers: Edward T. Moore and Samuel S. Moore. Both brothers possessed backgrounds in printing, and Edward had served in the 12th Ohio Infantry during the Civil War- a regiment that saw extensive service in West Virginia. Edward Moore’s time in the Mountain State was apparently impressive, for shortly after mustering out of the army in 1863, he and Samuel moved to Charleston. The following year, the brothers launched the West Virginia Journal, a four-page weekly paper published every Wednesday.

The Journal offered a variety of local and national news, poetry, short stories, advice columns, advertisements, and more. The most notable feature of the newspaper, however, was its politics. The Journal was the first Republican newspaper in Charleston and Kanawha County, and the Moore brothers were staunch supporters of Abraham Lincoln and Unionism. Moreover, the newspaper also served as a tool for Unionists seeking to disparage pro-Southern citizens in the Kanawha Valley region. The Journal continued its support for the Republican Party after the Civil War as well.

The West Virginia Journal underwent a number of ownership and editorial changes over the years and served as a springboard for future newspaper editors and Republican politicians. Several years after its founding, George W. Atkinson purchased a share of the Journal. A notable figure in West Virginia history, Atkinson would later serve as editor of the Wheeling Evening Standard and eventually became the tenth Governor of West Virginia as a Republican (1897-1901). Atkinson was later joined in ownership of the Journal by Alvero F. Gibbens, who previously served as an editor for the Parkersburg Weekly Gazette. After the Moore brothers left the Journal in the early 1870s, Gibbens served as the newspaper’s editor; Gibbens later became the editor for the Charleston State Tribune and a prominent member of the state Republican Party.

In 1875-76, the Journal changed hands one last time, as W.L. Moore (no apparent relation to Samuel and Edward) took control of the paper. The change of leadership apparently did not augur well for the Journal, and within a few years the newspaper ceased publication.

Provided By: West Virginia University

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The West Virginia Journal (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877

Dates of Publication

  • 1864-1877

Created / Published

  • Charleston, W. Va. : Moore & Bro., 1864-

Headings

  • -  Charleston (W. Va.)--Newspapers
  • -  West Virginia--Charleston
  • -  United States--West Virginia--Kanawha--Charleston

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (Oct. 26, 1864)-
  • -  Ceased in 1877? Cf. Hardesty, H.H. Hardesty's Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia ... Kanawha Co., W. Va.
  • -  "Republican and pro-union."
  • -  Publishers: S.S. and E.T. Moore, 1864; Moore Bros. and George W. Atkinson, 1864-1870; Moore Bros., Atkinson and A.F. Gibbens, 1870-1876; W.L. Moore & Co., 1876-1877.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.

Medium

  • volumes ; 45-67 cm

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn84026789

OCLC Number

  • 10671693

ISSN Number

  • 2640-494x

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The West Virginia Journal Charleston, W. Va. -1877. (Charleston, WV), Jan. 1 1864. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn84026789/.

APA citation style:

(1864, January 1) The West Virginia Journal Charleston, W. Va. -1877. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn84026789/.

MLA citation style:

The West Virginia Journal Charleston, W. Va. -1877. (Charleston, WV) 1 Jan. 1864. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn84026789/.