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Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper Breathitt County News (Jackson, Ky.) 190?-19??

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About Breathitt County News (Jackson, Ky.) 190?-19??

The Breathitt County News served its namesake county’s seat in the midst of an economic boom that had lasting consequence for eastern Kentucky. For much of the 19th century, Breathitt and other eastern Kentucky counties remained small, predominantly agricultural communities. By the 1890s, however, the extension of railroad lines, the insatiable demands of industrial America, and a mix of indigenous entrepreneurs and outside capital lead to the extensive development of timber, coal, and other natural resources. In Breathitt County, rapid growth followed the extension of a Louisville and Nashville line in 1888, and during the first decade of the 20th century, the county’s population grew dramatically.

Founded in Jackson, Kentucky in 1901, the Breathitt County News quickly became known for its reporting on the violent feuds that earned the county a widespread reputation as “Bloody Breathitt.” The publisher of the Breathitt County News, J. Wise Hagins (1861-1933), however, responded vigorously to the sensational depiction of Breathitt County as a place overrun by violent troublemakers. Hagins always insisted that the conflicts were political in nature, and not the result of any supposed culture of vendetta. Indeed, the county’s feuds were closely connected to local politics. The parties involved were often prominent citizens, including lawyers and elected officials who were themselves supposedly responsible for keeping the peace.

Born in Breathitt County, J. Wise Hagins was, at various times, the county’s clerk, judge, and attorney. Although a Democrat, the publisher repeatedly joined with Republicans to endorse sundry “fusion” tickets opposing the county’s Democratic machine. His four-page newspaper naturally reflected his eclectic political views. In addition to local politics, the News covered international, national, and state affairs, with the last often distilled into brief front-page summaries. A substantial section of correspondence from other county towns also appeared, much of it decidedly more concerned with local political affairs than social events. Subscribers also got Jackson town news along with local notices, advertising, and serialized fiction. Although the date is uncertain, the Breathitt County News had ceased publication by 1911. Hagins later moved to Virginia, where he dabbled in horticulture and beekeeping; he died in 1933.

Provided By: University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Breathitt County News (Jackson, Ky.) 190?-19??

Dates of Publication

  • 190?-19??

Created / Published

  • Jackson, Ky. : J. Wise Hagins

Headings

  • -  Breathitt County (Ky.)--Newspapers
  • -  Jackson (Ky.)--Newspapers
  • -  Kentucky--Breathitt County
  • -  Kentucky--Jackson
  • -  United States--Kentucky--Breathitt--Jackson

Genre

  • Periodicals
  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format as part of the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 2, no. 34 (May 29, 1903).

Medium

  • volumes : illustrations

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn86069667

OCLC Number

  • 14509032

ISSN Number

  • 1940-7823

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:

Breathitt County News Jackson, Ky. 190?-19??. (Jackson, KY), 190?. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86069667/.

APA citation style:

(190?) Breathitt County News Jackson, Ky. 190?-19??. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86069667/.

MLA citation style:

Breathitt County News Jackson, Ky. 190?-19??. (Jackson, KY) 190?. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn86069667/.