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Chronicling America
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Newspaper West Virginia Freeman (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886

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About West Virginia Freeman (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886

Established in 1881 in Parkersburg, the West Virginia Freeman was an eight-page weekly newspaper managed by W.F. Attkinssonand edited by Isaac H. Johnson. The West Virginia Freeman provided its readers with a steady fare of local news, stories, and poetry. Unlike most hometown papers, however, the Freeman largely devoted its columns to a single issue: temperance.

In his introductory editorial in the Freeman‘s inaugural issue, Isaac Johnson promised that the paper “will come boldly and aggressively, bearing the flag of Prohibition” and would contribute to “the dissemination of temperance news and argument.” Johnson proved true to his word, as much of the newspaper’s content revolved around the evils of alcohol and the achievements of the temperance movement. Given its temperance views, the paper enjoyed the support of the religious community, notably the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Beyond advocating for temperance, The Freeman also served as a clearinghouse for information on other temperance organizations around the state, including the International Organization of Good Templars (IOGT). Especially noteworthy is the newspaper’s coverage of local Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) chapters, providing a unique window into that group’s prohibition efforts throughout the state. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Isaac Johnson’s wife Jane belonged to the WCTU and served as president of the West Virginia chapter.

The temperance paper resounded with readers. Beginning with a humble 1,000 subscribers in 1881, the newspaper tripled its circulation within a few years. In May, 1886, the paper dropped “West Virginia” from its title, simply styling itself The Freeman. Shortly thereafter, however, it ceased publication, perhaps due to the health of Isaac Johnson, who passed away in 1891.

Provided By: West Virginia University

About this Newspaper

Title

  • West Virginia Freeman (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886

Dates of Publication

  • 1881-1886

Created / Published

  • Parkersburg, W. Va. : Freeman Publ. Co., 1881-1886.

Headings

  • -  African American newspapers--West Virginia
  • -  African Americans--West Virginia--Newspapers
  • -  Parkersburg (W. Va.)--Newspapers
  • -  African Americans
  • -  African American newspapers
  • -  West Virginia
  • -  West Virginia--Parkersburg
  • -  United States--West Virginia--Wood--Parkersburg

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (Feb. 23,1881)-v. 6, no. 11 (Apr. 28, 1886).
  • -  "Temperance."
  • -  Editor: I.H. Johnson.
  • -  Available on microfilm from U.M.I.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Freeman (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 2994-984X (DLC)sn 86092473 (OCoLC)13416085

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn86092472

OCLC Number

  • 2269450

ISSN Number

  • 2994-9904

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:

West Virginia Freeman Parkersburg, W. Va. -1886. (Parkersburg, WV), Jan. 1 1881. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86092472/.

APA citation style:

(1881, January 1) West Virginia Freeman Parkersburg, W. Va. -1886. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86092472/.

MLA citation style:

West Virginia Freeman Parkersburg, W. Va. -1886. (Parkersburg, WV) 1 Jan. 1881. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn86092472/.