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Chronicling America
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Newspaper Star of the Kanawha Valley (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856

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About Star of the Kanawha Valley (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856

The premier issue of the Star of the Kanawha Valley was published on January 1, 1855, in Buffalo, Virginia, now West Virginia. Proprietors John Rundle, William Murrell, and William Kennedy dedicated the newspaper to advocating the rights of the South but supporting no political party and to promoting economic development and internal improvements in western Virginia, particularly along the Kanawha River. The weekly publication had four pages with 28 columns per issue. In March 1855, after Kennedy’s departure, Rundle and Murrell revised their original intention to remain politically neutral and shifted the Star to a position staunchly promoting and openly defending the Democratic Party, a position the paper maintained until publication ceased on July 2, 1861.

Its office was destroyed by arson sometime after August 15, 1855, but the Star resumed publishing by November 15. When Rundle became sole proprietor on July 23, 1856, he asserted that “there would be a Constitutional Union or no union” and, beginning with the November 4 issue, added the states’ rights motto “State Sovereignty & A Constitutional Union” under the title. The newspaper was renamed the Kanawha Valley Star on September 30, 1856, and the printing office was moved from Buffalo to Charleston “in the first building below the courthouse.”

While the Star usually endorsed the interests of eastern Virginia on issues of national significance–specifically, in supporting slavery, opposing abolition, and limiting the power of Congress, the paper’s journalistic hallmark was its drive to increase the progress of industry, transportation, and the economy in general among the counties of western Virginia. The Star‘s writers included nearly a dozen prominent Charleston attorneys, all staunch Democrats and proponents of the states’ rights ideology, which made the paper much more sectional and radical in its editorials and therefore more typical of the Southern press. Coverage of regional politics soon gave way to national issues such as the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Emigrant Aid Society, the American or “Know-Nothing” Party, the emergence of the new Republican Party, the actions of John Brown at Harper’s Ferry, and eventually, the circumstances leading to the Civil War. After the election of President Abraham Lincoln in November 1860, the Star supported the southern states’ move toward secession and the establishment of the Confederacy. It denounced the convention held in Wheeling to form a loyal, unionist government for Virginia. Union forces occupied the offices of the Kanawha Valley Star after they captured Charleston in June and July 1861. John Rundle left the newspaper to join the Confederate Army, and the final issue of the Star appeared on July 2, 1861.

Provided By: West Virginia University

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Star of the Kanawha Valley (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856

Dates of Publication

  • 1855-1856

Created / Published

  • Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.] : John Rundle, 1855-1856.

Headings

  • -  Putnam County (W. Va.)--Newspapers
  • -  Buffalo (W. Va.)--Newspapers
  • -  West Virginia--Putnam County
  • -  United States--West Virginia--Putnam--Buffalo

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (Jan. 1, 1855)-v. 2, no. 22 (Sept. 3, 1856).
  • -  Publication begun by John Rundle, William Murrell and William Kennedy.
  • -  No issues published Aug. 15, 1855-Nov. 15, 1855.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Kanawha Valley star 2373-3772 (DLC)sn 85059862 (OCoLC)12926190

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn85059861

OCLC Number

  • 12926171

ISSN Number

  • 2832-6326

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:

Star of the Kanawha Valley Buffalo, Va. W. Va. -1856. (Buffalo, WV), Jan. 1 1855. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85059861/.

APA citation style:

(1855, January 1) Star of the Kanawha Valley Buffalo, Va. W. Va. -1856. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85059861/.

MLA citation style:

Star of the Kanawha Valley Buffalo, Va. W. Va. -1856. (Buffalo, WV) 1 Jan. 1855. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85059861/.