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Newspaper Muscatine Journal (Bloomington, Iowa) 1849-185? Weekly journal

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About Muscatine Journal (Bloomington, Iowa) 1849-185?

Thomas Hughes and John B. Russell published the first issue of the Bloomington [Iowa] Herald on October 27, 1840. The Herald was a Democratic paper “devoted to the dissemination of correct moral and political principles and the early transmission of foreign and domestic news.” Despite financial instability and frequent changes in ownership throughout its first decade, the Herald became an important part of one of the most successful publishing ventures in Iowa, largely due to the efforts of long-time editor John Mahin.

Mahin had shown an interest in the newspaper business from an early age. His father secured an apprenticeship for him at the Herald in 1847 when he was just 14. Under the paper’s proprietors Nelson L. Stout and W.P. Israel, Mahin’s duties included sweeping the offices, carrying wood and water, and tending the fires; in the remaining time he was allowed to assist in setting the type. On Saturdays, Mahin served as delivery boy. After just over a year, Stout and Israel were forced to sell the paper due to financial difficulties. The Herald was taken over by F.A.C. Foreman, but it lasted only a few months before suspending publication again.

Noah H. McCormick purchased the Herald in 1849, changing the title to the Muscatine Journal to reflect the recent renaming of the town. John Mahin had remained with the paper throughout this period, and in 1852 he and his father, Jacob Mahin, purchased the Muscatine Journal from McCormick. Under Stout and Israel, the paper had shifted its political orientation from Democratic to Whig, and the Mahins continued this perspective.

In 1853, Orion Clemens purchased an interest in the Muscatine Journal and joined the Mahin partnership. His brother, Samuel Clemens, not yet known by the pen name of Mark Twain, lived in Muscatine and contributed to the Journal‘s correspondence columns from 1853 to 1855. The Journal changed hands a number of times over the next few years, but John Mahin continued as editor. In August 1857, he purchased the Muscatine Journal and remained its sole owner through the Civil War years.

In 1864, Mahin married Anna Lee of Johnson County, Iowa. He formed the Journal Printing Company in 1878, with his father-in-law, John B. Lee, and his brother-in-law, Alfred W. Lee. In 1886, Alfred Lee moved to Chicago to further his publishing career, while Mahin and his sons continued to publish the Journal. Alfred Lee returned to Iowa in the 1890s, first purchasing the Ottumwa Courier and later the Davenport Times. When Mahin retired in 1903, Lee and his publishing group purchased the Muscatine Journal.

The Journal continues to publish today and is still owned by Lee Enterprises, which has become the fourth largest newspaper group in the United States. John Mahin’s contributions as editor for nearly half a century ensured the longevity of the Muscatine Journal and shaped the beginning of the Lee family’s publishing legacy.

Provided By: State Historical Society of Iowa

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Muscatine Journal (Bloomington, Iowa) 1849-185?

Other Title

  • Weekly journal

Dates of Publication

  • 1849-185?

Created / Published

  • Bloomington, Iowa : N.M. McCormick, 1849-

Headings

  • -  Muscatine (Iowa)--Newspapers
  • -  Bloomington (Iowa)--Newspapers
  • -  Muscatine County (Iowa)--Newspapers
  • -  Iowa--Muscatine County
  • -  Iowa--Muscatine
  • -  United States--Iowa--Story--Bloomington
  • -  United States--Iowa--Muscatine--Muscatine

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (May 9, 1849)-
  • -  Publisher varies.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Muscatine weekly journal 2577-0012 (DLC)sn 84027253 (OCoLC)10967328

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn88059754

OCLC Number

  • 18294236

ISSN Number

  • 2576-991x

Preceding Titles

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:

Muscatine Journal Bloomington, Iowa -185?. (Bloomington, IA), Jan. 1 1849. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn88059754/.

APA citation style:

(1849, January 1) Muscatine Journal Bloomington, Iowa -185?. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn88059754/.

MLA citation style:

Muscatine Journal Bloomington, Iowa -185?. (Bloomington, IA) 1 Jan. 1849. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn88059754/.