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Chronicling America
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Newspaper The Williamson Enterprise (Williamson, W. Va.) 1907-1911

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About The Williamson Enterprise (Williamson, W. Va.) 1907-1911

Published in Williamson, West Virginia, the county seat of Mingo County, from 1907 through the middle of 1911, The Williamson Enterprise was an eight-page, weekly newspaper that focused on politics and business. With Kentucky-born Kenna Blackburn as publisher, the paper came out every Thursday. While not describing itself as the “official organ” of a political party like its rival The Mingo Republican, the Enterprise‘s editorial stance was nevertheless staunchly pro-Democrat.

The Enterprise provided its readership with general complaints regarding the graft and corruption it framed as inherent in both county and state-wide politics. It did not shy away from commenting on national issues either, as it often poked fun at Theodore Roosevelt during his second term as President. In early 1911, its readers could find coverage of the West Virginia state legislature’s special session to select replacements for two U.S. Senators at once, after the retirement of one and sudden death of another. As the Enterprise noted in its January 12, 1911 issue, “[the] Legislature Has [a] Peculiar Problem.”

Successor to the Enterprise, The Progressive West Virginian was announced by Blackburn in the Enterprise‘s final issue of June 1, 1911. With the publishing reins turned over to Thomas B. Garner of the Williamson Printing Company, the Progressive seamlessly transitioned into the same schedule as its predecessor the following week. Lasting until 1913, the Progressive‘s stated “aim” was to “attract capital.” On every front page, it announced that the area had “millions in coal waiting for the hand of development” and that it was published “right in the richest coal fields of America with the greatest opportunities afforded for the profitable investment of capital.” It courted readers across the Tug Fork River in Kentucky, proffering still more slogans and taglines, including its claim that it was “Independent in All Things, Neutral in Nothing” (June 8, 1911).

Unsurprisingly, its 1912 Presidential election coverage was pro-Woodrow Wilson. That same year it also continuously went after the GOP’s nominee for West Virginia governor, and scion of the infamous feuding clan, Henry D. Hatfield. Hatfield, however, won that election. Notably, the Progressive‘s both geographic and political positions primed it for coverage of the 1912-13 Paint Creek-Cabin Creek coal miner strike, one of many such episodes in West Virginia’s “Mine Wars.” It staked out a rather centrist position on the conflict.

Appearing to advocate fairness towards workers, the Progressive did not condone violence from either mine guards or miners. This was seemingly an attempt to thread the needle between not offending locals while simultaneously hoping to reassure potential investors that the area was still a safe bet. Governor Glasscock declared martial law in the region, deploying the entirety of the state’s national guard in an attempt to quell the bloodshed. The paper critiqued him for the cost of the operation rather than the fact that he authorized it in the first place. As Gary Tucker describes in his book Governor William E. Glasscock and Progressive Politics in West Virginia, keeping troops supplied and paid equaled out to about $3,000 a day.

The Progressive folded in 1913, replaced by the Williamson Daily News, extant to the present day.

Provided By: West Virginia University

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Williamson Enterprise (Williamson, W. Va.) 1907-1911

Dates of Publication

  • 1907-1911

Created / Published

  • Williamson, W. Va. : W.B. Morrison, -1911.

Headings

  • -  Williamson (W. Va.)--Newspapers
  • -  West Virginia--Williamson
  • -  United States--West Virginia--Mingo--Williamson

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began in 1907?
  • -  -v. 5, no. 6 (June 1, 1911).
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Preceded by: Southern West Virginian (non-extant).
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 2, no. 6 (June 4, 1908).
  • -  Progressive West Virginian 2832-6423 (DLC)sn 86092086 (OCoLC)13048059

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn86092085

OCLC Number

  • 13048056

ISSN Number

  • 2832-6393

Succeeding Titles

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 Williamson Enterprise Williamson, W. Va. -1911. (Williamson, WV), Jan. 1 1907. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86092085/.

APA citation style:

(1907, January 1) The Williamson Enterprise Williamson, W. Va. -1911. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86092085/.

MLA citation style:

The Williamson Enterprise Williamson, W. Va. -1911. (Williamson, WV) 1 Jan. 1907. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn86092085/.