Odds and Ends From The MUSEUM!
“All the news that fits, we print!” That statement was part of the introduction to
Millinocket’s newest newspaper in the fall of 1939. World War II had just begun in Europe and in October, 1939 the Millinocket Journal began printing a weekly issue. Underneath the Journal heading was the description, “The oldest weekly newspaper in the United States.”
Journal, as it was often called was officially The Millinocket Journal or Millinocket Journal…both were used in the masthead. Prior to the 1939 version, a newspaper was published with that name as early as November, 1901. The museum has 52 issues from Nov. 1901 through April 1903. These newspapers were all in a large format. The early versions are associated with the names Joseph Tucker (aka Don Meyers, professional wrestler) and EE Morse. The Tucker family printed the paper in small, medium and large formats from a bungalow on Eastland Avenue that became known as Journal Place.
Later, the paper was purchased by the Hume family, Robert M. Hume, Jr. and wife Rosemarie Ann. Robert (Bob) was publisher and Rosemarie (Ann) was editor. They (with 2 young sons) moved into the Eastland Avenue house. Two more sons were later added to the family. Bob worked at GNP for a few years.
One of the sons, John David Hume visited the museum a year or more ago and shared some interesting information. Hume, Sr. was already in Millinocket and was GNP mill superintendent living in what people often call the GNP Guest House. Bob, Jr. and Rosemarie (Ann) Hume and children came to town and moved into the house off Eastland Avenue where the Tuckers had published the paper. “Bob went to work at the mill. In the basement of the house was the mimeograph machine, wax stencils and other equipment the Tuckers had used.”
Rosemarie, a journalism graduate, took on the task of putting out a newspaper and the children did various jobs to help out. A newspaper articles states that in the 1960’s “the cellar printing plant was moved to the renovated garage in back of the little brown house on the corner. Since the garage doors opened out onto an un-named street (no houses on it), it was immediately christened Journal Place.” The switch was made to an off-set printing press which allowed for more photographs.
The Hume family published the paper until sometime in the late 1960’s. During the Hume years, the name on the masthead was The Millinocket Journal and for a time, Millinocket Journal (without the word the).
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