100
COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES
under that name until Jan u ary, i860, when it was bought by Capt. Charles B . Brockway. and merged into the Columbian. T h e paper was, under all its names and v a m n g fortunes, consistently Democratic in its politics, and was alw ays deservedly influcnlial. O f its editors, Ingram went from here to Pottsville, M ills to N ew Jersey, T ate to Williamsport. T he S tar of the North was established by Reuben W. Wcaver and Benjamin S . Gilmore, Feb. t, Gilmore retired A u g. I, 1850, and the paper was continued by Nlr. W eaver until his death, l)ec. 2. 1857. It was subse quently sold by his administrator and bought by Williamson H . Jacoby in Jan u ary, 1858. l 4c published it until Oct. 16, 1862, when he went into the army, and the paper was sus pended until August. 186^, when he r e tu r n s and resumed the publication. It was carried on under the old name until February, 1866, w'hen it was consolidated with the Columbia Democrat, then owned by E lijah R . Ikeler, as the Democrat and Star. A t the end o f about seven months Mr. Ikeler sold his interest in the establishment lo Josiah P. Shuman, and Jacoby and Shuman ran the paper until Ja n uary, 1867, when M r. Shuman retired, Jacoby continuing the paper as the Bloom sburg Democrat until la n u a ^, 1869, when he sold it to Capt. Charles B . Brockway, who merged it into the Columbian. The Ct»/Mwii>ia C ountR epublican was estab lished in Bloomsburg M arch i, 1857, by Dr. Palcmon John. In 1069 he sold the paper to a Slock company, and Dr. William H . Bradley was editor. D r. Bradley and L ew is Gordon subsequently purchased the paper, and in 18 7 1 sold it to Daniel A . Beckley and John S. Phillips, who became the publishers, the edi torial department being managed by M r. BcckIcy. In 18 7 3 KW ardin bought the interest o f John S . Phillips, and not long a fte r that of Daniel A . Beckley and became the sole pro prietor. On the first o f August, 1875, Jam es C . Brown purchased the paper from E . M. W ardin, and fo r a number o f years conducted it with D. A . Bcckley as associate editor. Mr. B e c k k y retired, and Mr. Brown continued as sole proprietor until 1908, when he sold the paper to O. B . .Ammcnnan, and subsequently the ownership was changed into a stock com pany, with Mr. Ammcrman as president. It was published and managed by C . W. Matthews as a semi-weekly, for the company, fo r a short time, when M r. Matthews retired ,m<l John S. Woo<ls succeeded him. T he pres ent owner is the Bloomsburg Publishing Com|jany, and Charles E . Kesty is the editor.
T he Columbian was established in Blooms burg M ay 5, 1866, as the organ of the Johnson Republicans, under the management o f George H. Moore, who published thirty-five numbers. T he good will, subscription Kst and material were then purchased by a number o f Demo crats of the county, and placed under the charge o f John G . Freeze, Jan . 4, 1867, as a Democratic newspaper, beginning Vol. 1, No. i. lie continued until Feb. 15, 1867, when Capt. Charles B . Brockway became associated with him, and eventually bought up the stock and took entire chaige and ownersliip of the paper. It was enlarged Ju ly I 2, 1867. and beran to be printed on a steampower press. On the 1st o f Jan u ary. 1869, by the purchase of the Blootnsburg Deniocrat from Mr. Jacoby, the Columbian became the sole Democratic paper in the county. On the 1st of Jan u ary, 18 7 1, Ilcn ry L . IMcfTcnbach Ixiught the paper and published it one year, when Captain Brockw av resumed the control. In Ju ly, 1873, .Mr. Dic^fcnbach again took the paper, and continued until Oct. I, 1875, when O iarles B . Brockw ay and George E. Elw ell purchased it. T liey con tinued il to Oct. I . 1879, when Captain Brockway retired, and on fflat day John K . Bittenbender purchased Brockw ay's interest in the paM f, and the publishing firm became Elw ell & Bittenbender. It continued under this man agement until Feb. 20, 1893, when M r. Rittcnbcndcr .sold his interest to George E . Elw ell, who became the sole proprietor. In September, 1909, M r. Hlwcll associated with him his son, G- In w a rd Elw ell, J r ., and on A pril t. 19 10, the son became a partner, the firm name changing to Geoige E . Elw ell & Son. On A pril 7 . 19 10 . the publication o f ihe Columbian ceased, for the reason that the jo b printing part of the business had so increased as to demand all the time of the proprietors, and the further reason that the financial re turns from a weekly ncw'spapcr were no longer commensurate with the lauor required. P rop ositions to sell the paper, and to consolidate with another, were lx>th declined, and the csiablishmcnt retains the name of the "C olu m bian Printing House,” by which it has been known for the List forty-six years. From Jan u ary, 1867, the Columbian w as Democratic in politics, and devoted to the gen eral ]X)licy o f that jiarty. In October, 1 ^ 1 , the office w as moved into its own three-story brick building. 25 by 75 feet, erected especially fo r it, on Main street. T he presses arc run by electric power, and in all its appointments the office is one of the finest printing establish ments in the interior of the State.
