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Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper The Temperance Star (Charleston, W. Va.) 1874-1874 Temperance star and home magazine

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About The Temperance Star (Charleston, W. Va.) 1874-1874

Founded in 1874, West Virginia’s Charleston Temperance Star dedicated itself to the eradication of alcohol in American society; as its masthead claimed, “Prohibition Our Country’s Hope; Total Abstinence Our Only Safeguard.” The eight-page newspaper was the product of the S.G. and J.B. Crouch, a pair of Charleston area brothers, who ultimately produced seven issues of the bi-weekly paper.

The Star was not a typical newspaper offering stories and news on local and national events of the day. Rather, it was driven by a single-issue- prohibition. With the exception of advertisements, every article, short story, and poem revolved around the dangers of alcohol, its corrosive impact on families and communities, the necessity of strong morals in men and women to resist alcohol’s temptations, and the politics and passions of the wider temperance movement.

The newspaper maintained strong ties to the International Order of Good Templars, a fraternal organization open to men and women devoted to temperance. The International Order of Good Templars at one point boasted nearly 5,000 members in West Virginia, and the Star published the organization’s minutes and state and national directories. Unsurprisingly, the Crouch brothers sought to grow the ranks of the temperance movement in the state, dramatically declaring that the “greatest need of the temperance reform to-day is men who will readily sacrifice everything, even life itself, if need be, for the cause.”

The Temperance Star‘s short run came to an end in November 1874, when the Crouch brothers were forced to suspend the Star‘s publication due to lack of funds. Despite this setback, they opined that “a fearless, outspoken Temperance paper is indispensable to the Cause in this State” and took solace that they had “made a vigorous and honest effort” on behalf of the temperance movement. Although the brothers hoped to resume publication in 1875, the Temperance Star was never again printed. S.B. Crouch continued a career in newspapers, however, later serving as an editor for the Charleston Gazette.

Provided By: West Virginia University

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Temperance Star (Charleston, W. Va.) 1874-1874

Other Title

  • Temperance star and home magazine

Dates of Publication

  • 1874-1874

Created / Published

  • Charleston, W. Va. : Crouch Bros.

Headings

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

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Biweekly
  • -  Began in 1874; ceased in 1874. Cf. Hardesty, H.H. Hardesty's Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia ... Kanawha County, W. Va.
  • -  "Prohibition our country' hope: Total abstinence our only safeguard."
  • -  Editors: S.G. Crouch & J.B. Crouch.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 1, no. 7 (Nov. 30, 1874).

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn85059867

OCLC Number

  • 12926214

ISSN Number

  • 2640-4869

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 Temperance Star Charleston, W. Va. (Charleston, WV), Jan. 1 1874. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn85059867/.

APA citation style:

(1874, January 1) The Temperance Star Charleston, W. Va. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn85059867/.

MLA citation style:

The Temperance Star Charleston, W. Va. (Charleston, WV) 1 Jan. 1874. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn85059867/.