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Newspaper The Canton Mail (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882

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About The Canton Mail (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882

Cotton was the primary crop in Madison County, one of the richest farming sections of antebellum Mississippi. As an important railroad center, Canton, the county seat, was a primary target during the Civil War. In 1874, the Illinois Central bought and reorganized the two lines that terminated in Canton. By the end of the nineteenth century, diversification added fruits and vegetables, shipped by rail to northern markets, as profitable agricultural products.

Prominent white citizens published Canton’s nineteenth and early twentieth century Democratic newspapers. Albert P. Hill, Sr., a lawyer and member of the Mississippi secession convention, edited the four-page, weekly Madisonian (1850–55) early in its run. The Madisonian printed letters and addresses of noted citizens and the prospectus of like-minded newspapers. It covered international events, such as General Narciso Lopez’s failed attempt to overthrow the Spanish government in Cuba, which was vigorously supported by Mississippi Governor John A. Quitman. National topics included the admission of California as a free state and, in local news, the establishment of a Canton to Jackson railroad.

Two established newspaper families produced the Canton Mail (1865?-82) and its successor the Canton Picket. By 1868, Singleton Garrett edited and owned the four-page weekly Mail; among his business partners was his younger brother Joseph Walker Garrett. Emmett L. Ross, who bought the Mail in 1873, was the paper’s most noted editor. Many editorials in the mid-1870s claimed unfair depiction of race relations in the South by northern newspapers. When Joseph Walker Garrett resumed ownership of the Canton Mail in 1883 he first changed its title to the Picket before settling on the Canton Picket (1883–94). Emmett L. Ross returned as editor of the weekly in 1886 and started the concurrent Daily Picket (1886?-1903). In the June 25, 1903 issue of the daily, current owner Howard G. Ross, Emmett’s son, announced it was the final issue so he could devote his time to improving the weekly version, by then called the Weekly Picket (1894-1909?). In 1907, the newspaper strongly backed prohibition. The last record of the Picket was in 1909, according to George P. Rowell and Company’s American Newspaper Directory.

The Weekly Picket‘s main competition was another Democratic weekly, the Canton Times (1893-1906). Benjamin Passmore owned and edited the eight-page Times by 1895; in January 1902, his son Ellis joined him as publisher. With another change in ownership in 1906, the Times became the Madison County Herald; it is published today as a semiweekly. Among the topics the Canton Times covered at the turn of the century were Cuban efforts toward independence culminating in the 1898 Spanish-American War, and the construction of a new state house in Mississippi. The Times carried a mix of serialized stories, general interest articles, political news, social announcements, advertisements, and legal notices.

Provided By: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Canton Mail (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882

Dates of Publication

  • 18??-1882

Created / Published

  • Canton, Miss. : Garrett & Dudley

Headings

  • -  Canton (Miss.)--Newspapers
  • -  Mississippi--Canton
  • -  United States--Mississippi--Madison--Canton

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Ceased in 1882.
  • -  Publishers: Garrett & Dudley, <1873>; Emmett L. Ross & Co., <1876>.
  • -  Democratic. Cf. Rowell, 1877.
  • -  Editors: Singleton Garrett, C.R. Dudley, <1873>, Emmett L. Ross & Co., <1876>.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 8, no. 28 (Jan. 11, 1873).

Medium

  • volumes ; 71 cm

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn85034299

OCLC Number

  • 12630595

ISSN Number

  • 2378-1564

Preceding 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:

The Canton Mail Canton, Miss. 18??. (Canton, MS), 18??. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85034299/.

APA citation style:

(18??) The Canton Mail Canton, Miss. 18??. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85034299/.

MLA citation style:

The Canton Mail Canton, Miss. 18??. (Canton, MS) 18??. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85034299/.