Top of page

Notice
In observance of the Federal holiday on Monday, February 16, the Jefferson Building Great Hall and exhibitions will be open from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. to guests with timed-entry passes. Reading rooms will be closed to researchers.
Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-Current

View All Front Pages

About The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-Current

The Hickman Courier was established in 1859 by George Warren. A fire in 1861 destroyed the newspaper’s offices, and later attempts to revive the Courier were interrupted by the Civil War. In 1865, the Courier reappeared on a regular weekly schedule. The “Oldest Paper in Western Kentucky” that “Covers Western Kentucky Like Dew,” the Courier is still printed on Thursdays 150 years after it began.

The four-page Courier was popular from the start. In 1872, it boasted a circulation of more than 1,100. By the 1920s, the Courier had expanded to 14 pages. Hickman was situated on the Mississippi River, which meant that the Courier circulated in the neighboring states of Missouri, Tennessee, and Illinois. The Courier’s primary focus, however, remained the residents of Hickman and Fulton Counties. Columns such as “The Dairy” and “Corner for Farmers” offered agricultural advice to local farmers, reported on market prices, and discussed advances in farming technology. The women of Hickman turned to “Courier’s Home Circle” and “The Kitchen Cabinet” for weekly recipes, sewing circles, and information about domestic life in general. In 1919–the year of Hickman’s centennial celebration, the activities of Judge B.T. Davis appeared in 25 installments of “Looking Backward,” a column that chronicled the city’s history and early traditions.

The Hickman Courier openly supported the Democratic Party, and many of its editors were political and social activists. A topic often discussed in the newspaper was Fulton County’s desire to join Tennessee, an effort that originated before the Civil War. Fulton County is geographically similar to Tennessee, its editor Warren argued in 1871, and the commercial and political interests of the county aligned more with Tennessee than Kentucky. Although the Courier supported separation in principle, it remained loyal to the Commonwealth. “We do not forfeit our attachment or pride for Kentucky,” Warren explained. The proposed cession met defeat in the Kentucky House of Representatives by only one vote.

The Courier has had over 20 editors. Founder George Warren served as editor for 38 years, longer than any other in the paper’s history. After his death in 1903, Warren’s wife took control of the paper for a short time. The Courier switched hands frequently until 1906 when W.C. Speer and J.C. Sexton purchased the publication. By 1922, Will L. Busby took over as owner.

Provided By: University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-Current

Dates of Publication

  • 1859-current

Created / Published

  • Hickman, Ky. : Warren & Martin

Headings

  • -  Fulton County (Ky.)--Newspapers
  • -  Hickman (Ky.)--Newspapers
  • -  Kentucky--Fulton County
  • -  Kentucky--Hickman
  • -  United States--Kentucky--Fulton--Hickman

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began in 1859. Cf. Gregory, W. Amer. newspapers.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 2, no. 18 (Apr. 18, 1868).

Medium

  • volumes : illustrations

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn85052141

OCLC Number

  • 12495733

ISSN Number

  • 1943-8907

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.

The NEH awardee responsible for producing each digital object is presented in the Chronicling America page display, below the page image – e.g. Image produced by the Library of Congress. For more information on current NDNP awardees, see https://aj.sunback.homes/ndnp/listawardees.html.

For more information on Library of Congress policies and disclaimers regarding rights and reproductions, see https://aj.sunback.homes/homepage/legal.html

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The Hickman Courier Hickman, Ky. -Current. (Hickman, KY), Jan. 1 1859. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85052141/.

APA citation style:

(1859, January 1) The Hickman Courier Hickman, Ky. -Current. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85052141/.

MLA citation style:

The Hickman Courier Hickman, Ky. -Current. (Hickman, KY) 1 Jan. 1859. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85052141/.