About

In 1851, William L. Beebe founded the Southern Baptist Messenger as a semimonthly newspaper “devoted to the service of the Old School [Primitive] Baptists.” J. L. Purington provided editorial assistance, but was gone by January 1, 1862. The paper, which could be purchased at a subscription cost of one dollar, featured communication from Old School Baptists around the South, poetry, hymns, and advertisements for Beebe’s other printing services. Each issue contained editorial essays that explored different pieces of scripture as they applied to contemporary times or answered questions sent in by readers. On November 1, 1860, faced with financial struggle, the editors sent out a request to patrons to pay in advance and, if possible, encourage neighbors to subscribe. By March 15, 1862, Beebe published an editorial that provided notice to subscribers about a price increase. Beebe cited the Civil War, and a loss of over half of his readers to service in the Confederacy. The Messenger could not sustain itself on the remaining one thousand subscribers and ceased publication in the early-1860s.