Dublin Courier Herald Publishing

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Welcome to Courier Herald Online The Courier Herald enters more than 11, 000 businesses and households weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings providing the citizens of Dublin-Laurens County with a daily look into the moments that matter most in their lives. From events like graduations to football Friday nights to troop send-offs and school events, The Courier Herald is a vibrant, viable source for the news and information pertinent to everyday life in The Heart of Georgia.Dublin newspaper history started in 1876 with the publication of "The Gazette". This paper, a weekly, was begun by one of Dublin's most progressive leaders, Colonel John M. Stubbs. On June 20, 1878 another publication, "The Dublin Post", began publishing by J. W. Peacock Company.In 1887, "The Dublin Courier" began. In the same year a little sheet called "The People", began publication under the ownership of D. J. Thaxton from Jackson, Georgia. In 1894, the "Dublin Dispatch" was established by a stock company with J. A. Peacock as editor."The Dispatch" and "The Courier" were consolidated in 1899 as "The Courier-Dispatch", under the management of A. P. Hilton, E. W. Morcock, H. M. and V. L. Stanley. In April of 1903, K. K. Hawkins and C.A. Weddington established a semi-weekly known as The Dublin Times. Soon George W. Williams purchased the paper and Earnest Camp became editor."The Courier-Dispatch", in 1903 installed a Mergenthaler Linotype machine, a modern, Babcock press and an Eclipse folding machine. The owner believed this was the first country newspaper in the South to install a Linotype machine. In the later part of the 19th century, a weekly paper, "The Transcript" was published for a short time.In the second decade of the 20th century there were in Dublin "The Dublin Messenger" and "The Laurens County News". These were merged into "The Dublin Press", a weekly published in 1929. "The Press" was merged into "The Dublin-Courier-Herald-Dispatch" and the name became "Courier-Herald-Dispatch and Press". In 1929, "The Dublin Courier Herald" was owned by a stock company composed of W. H. Lovett, W. M. Harrison and Mrs. W. M. Harrison - all of Dublin. W. M. Harrison, was editor and manager. In the 1930s "The Dublin Courier Herald", was thought to be the largest daily in Georgia to be published in a town with a population of less than 10, 000.In August 1930, "The Laurens Citizen", a weekly was established with the editor and owner O. B Overstreet. "The Laurens Citizen" was purchased by "The Dublin Courier Herald" in 1942 which continued to operate it as a weekly. Due to a shortage of newsprint during World War II, the weekly stopped publication on 1944.In 1945 W. H. Champion, 34, bought an interest in "The Dublin Courier Herald" and was hired as editor by W. H. Lovett, owner of Courier Herald Publishing Company. "Champ" and "Sparkplug", as he was called by those who knew him, grew up in Macon and was a graduate of Mercer University, receiving an AB degree ( 1931 ) and a Masters of Arts degree ( 1934 ).The age of offset printing was ushered into Dublin in 1969 when "The Dublin Courier Herald" installed an eight unit Goss community press and became the first daily to purchase and use Compugraphic typesetting equipment. The paper tape driven 2961s had one of the first serial numbers from the Compugraphic Corporation. By 1975 the newspaper went totally cold type, selling its last Linotype to Southern Printing Company just down the street.Notable figures during the early years included Sara Orr Williams, once secretary to U.S. Senator Tom Waston; she was famous for her wide-brimmed, big hat, cigarette holder, and sharp and salty tongue. Newspaper legend has it that Sara Orr, upon learning that names of an accident fatality and an injured person were transposed in a news story, stood and shouted above the din of the newsroom, "Stop the presses, stop the presses, the * ^%$ * didn't die!" Sara explained she always wanted to stop the presses and figured t