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Chronicling America
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Newspaper The Brinkley Argus (Brinkley, Ark.) 1883-Current Brinkley Sunday argus

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About The Brinkley Argus (Brinkley, Ark.) 1883-Current

Brinkley, Arkansas, located on the White River in northern Monroe County in the Delta region, was named after the president of the Little Rock & Memphis Railroad, Robert Campbell Brinkley. Incorporated in 1872, the town grew from a camp used by railroad workers as the rail line between Little Rock and Memphis, Tennessee, was completed. Recognizing the strategic location of Brinkley, early settlers quickly established mills and manufacturing plants in the town.

On May 5, 1883, J.C. McKetham and the brothers B.F. Kelley and Robert J. Kelley created the Brinkley Argus (1883-current) and served as the paper’s proprietors and editors. Robert J. Kelley sold his interest to J.C. McKetham, and eight years later, in 1891, William Blount Folsom purchased the newspaper. William Folsom, serving as editor, published the paper with his wife, Harriette M. Doty “H.M. Folsom,” who served as the paper’s business manager. Published weekly, the four- to eight-page newspaper advertised itself as having the largest circulation in Monroe County in the 1890s. In 1921, the Arkansas Press Association awarded the Brinkley Argus several times: second prize in the best all round county paper; first prize in the best displays of ten samples of general printing; first prize in the best display of ten samples of commercial printing; and first prize in the best display of ten samples of social and fancy printing.

The Brinkley Argus focused on local news in Brinkley and Monroe County. The paper regularly published service schedules and Bible lessons for local churches. The Folsoms advertised the positive aspects of Brinkley and Arkansas as a whole. In 1898, the paper included a recurring advertisement titled “Brinkley Has” detailing a list of positive facts about the town. In 1910, William Folsom organized an advertisement train called “Arkansas on Wheels” advertising Arkansas throughout the country. This form of advertising was so successful that the “Arkansas on Wheels” train continued yearly through 1916.

On Monday March 8, 1909, a tornado hit Brinkley and the surrounding area and caused extensive damage: 35 people were killed and hundreds were injured. The newspaper managed to publish an issue five days later on Friday March 12, 1909, and the next couple of issues went into great detail on the destruction of Brinkley. During the First World War, there were occasional updates until 1917 when the United States entered the war and articles about the war’s impact on the local community became more frequent.

Provided By: Arkansas State Archives

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Brinkley Argus (Brinkley, Ark.) 1883-Current

Other Title

  • Brinkley Sunday argus

Dates of Publication

  • 1883-current

Created / Published

  • Brinkley, Ark. : W.B. & H.M. Folsom

Headings

  • -  Brinkley (Ark.)--Newspapers
  • -  Arkansas--Brinkley
  • -  United States--Arkansas--Monroe--Brinkley

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Semiweekly, July 3, 1974-
  • -  Began in 1883.
  • -  Published as: Brinkley Sunday argus, July 7, 1974.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Description based on: Whole no. 723 (May 7, 1896) = 13th year, no. 48.

Medium

  • v.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn91050004

OCLC Number

  • 23188087

ISSN Number

  • 2692-8795

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 Brinkley Argus Brinkley, Ark. -Current. (Brinkley, AR), Jan. 1 1883. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn91050004/.

APA citation style:

(1883, January 1) The Brinkley Argus Brinkley, Ark. -Current. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn91050004/.

MLA citation style:

The Brinkley Argus Brinkley, Ark. -Current. (Brinkley, AR) 1 Jan. 1883. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn91050004/.