Paper celebrates 150 years in 2019
It’s time to celebrate a big birthday in the newsroom here at the Standard Journal as the paper – in one form or another – celebrates its sesquicentennial year.
Well, technically. Maybe a brief history lesson on newspapers here in town will help clarify matters some.
According to Larry D. Carter’s “Polk County, Ga: The First One Hundred Years,” the Cedartown Standard began in 1869 under the helm of Dr. William Bradford, who operated the newspaper as The Advertiser.
It was sold to D.B. Freeman – a former mayor of Cedartown – turned around and sold it again after a brief stay in town, and moved on to Cartersville. It wasn’t until the 1880s the paper was bought by Montgomery M. Folson, changed the name to the Cedartown Standard and began semiweekly publication in 1888.
It changed hands to a young man named Charles Langworthy, then again to W.S. Coleman and E.B. Russell.
The Standard continued in publication over several decades into the modern era and through additional ownership changes, and was in the 1980s eventually made part of the News Publishing Company. It was later bought out several years ago by Times Journal Inc. out of Marietta.
These days, the Standard is a combined edition with the Rockmart Journal, which also wasn’t the first paper on the eastern side of the county.
The Rockmart Slate started two decades after the Standard in 1889, and was in competition with The Rockmart Courier, the Rockmart News and The Art Craft Free Press. Many of the papers stuck around though the 1920s and 30s, but eventually the battle came down between the Rockmart Journal and the Rockmart News. The Journal won out, and eventually also became part of News Publishing Company in the 1980s, and then Times Journal Inc. just a few years ago.
Owners, publishers, editors and reporters have all come and gone from Polk County over the years, but what has remained throughout all the time is a passion for the news business and continued involvement in community affairs of all kind. Though change is inevitable when it comes to how readers get their news as well with the Standard Journal being published both online and in print these days, what doesn’t change is the value of being informed in what is happening throughout Polk County.
The commitment to excellence in bringing stories from all corners of the area remains here at the Standard Journal as the staff celebrates in 2019. Join us as we look back on stories from years past published in the papers on a weekly basis throughout 2019.
Readers can also contribute submissions of their favorite stories or items that they thought mattered by contacting Editor Kevin Myrick at kmyrick@polkstandardjournal. net.