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Chronicling America
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Newspaper The Oskaloosa Herald (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919

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About The Oskaloosa Herald (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919

John R. Needham and Hugh McNeely established the Oskaloosa Herald in 1850, publishing its first issue on November 1st. Needham was a prominent Mahaska County pioneer and lawyer, and he was elected to many public offices throughout his life, including serving in the Iowa State Senate from 1852 to 1857, as mayor of Oskaloosa in 1860, and as Lieutenant Governor of Iowa in 1862. He edited the Herald until 1857, and he was succeeded by Charles Beardsley.

On November 16, 1865, Henry C. Leighton and William H. Needham, John Needham’s brother, became the owners of the Herald. Leighton was a Civil War veteran and had begun his career with the Herald as an apprentice at age 17. Leighton later served as Oskaloosa’s postmaster and chairperson of the Republican State Central Committee. Although he died at the young age of 35, Leighton had become well respected among the community. His obituary covered four columns in the Herald, and his funeral was attended by hundreds of people, including many other newspaper editors and publishers, and state officials. After Henry C. Leighton died in 1878, his brother, Charles Leighton, joined George R. Lee, and the two took over the Herald.

Three years later, Albert W. Swalm became the owner and publisher of the Herald on March 17, 1881. He was originally from Mahaska County, but he had been working in Des Moines as the city editor for the Iowa State Register. After he took over the Herald, his wife Pauline joined him in the business as an assistant, and she became a skilled newspaperwoman in her own right. The Swalms expanded the business to add a daily edition of the Herald in 1887, while also continuing the weekly.

On December 31, 1896, they sold the Herald to Charles V. and Phil Hoffman who formed the Herald Print Company. Charles served as the president of the company, Phil took over as editor, their sister Maggie became the secretary and treasurer, and Charles Walling was the business manager. The weekly edition ceased publication in 1919. The daily edition transitioned through a number of publishers and title changes over the following decades and continues to publish today as the Oskaloosa Herald.

Provided By: State Historical Society of Iowa

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Oskaloosa Herald (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919

Dates of Publication

  • 1885-1919

Created / Published

  • Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa : Herald Print. Co., 1885-

Headings

  • -  Oskaloosa (Iowa)--Newspapers
  • -  Iowa--Oskaloosa
  • -  United States--Iowa--Mahaska--Oskaloosa

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly, 1888-<1918>
  • -  Vol. 36, no. 36 (Apr. 30, 1885)-
  • -  Ceased in 1919.
  • -  Publisher varies.
  • -  Saturday issues numbered separately as v. 1, no. 42 (May 2, 1885)-v. 4, no. 25 (Dec. 31, 1887).
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.

Medium

  • v.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn87058308

OCLC Number

  • 15866958

ISSN Number

  • 2694-2143

Preceding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

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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 Oskaloosa Herald Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa -1919. (Oskaloosa, IA), Jan. 1 1885. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87058308/.

APA citation style:

(1885, January 1) The Oskaloosa Herald Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa -1919. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87058308/.

MLA citation style:

The Oskaloosa Herald Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa -1919. (Oskaloosa, IA) 1 Jan. 1885. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn87058308/.