About

The first Cassville Standard issue was published on March 15, 1849 by John W. Burke. Burke, publisher of the Athens Banner, wanted to come to Cassville in order to establish a second weekly Democratic newspaper. Becoming more involved in Athens politics, Burke sold the paper to Benjamin F. Bennet in September of 1850. Burke returned to the paper in January of 1852 and reported only the Democratic events of the State Union convention that year. Samuel H. Smith, later the founder of the Cartersville Express, became editor and owner of the Cassville Standard in the 1850s; Benjamin F. Bennet remained associated with the paper but as a publisher. John W. Burke sold his interest to Smith and moved to Macon to set up a printing company. On February 26, 1857, John H. Rice purchased the newspaper from Smith. Rice, a Mercer University graduate, practicing lawyer, and founder of the Cherokee Baptist College, would own the paper until March, 1858, when he moved to Atlanta. B. H. Leeke and B. F. Bennet were the new owners, but this partnership would not last long as Leeke sold out to Bennet following disagreements regarding the election of Joseph E. Brown and Dr. J. W. Lewis. In April, 1859, E. M. Keith came on to assist Bennet in editing and printing the Standard. William Tatum Wofford also edited the paper for some time and, despite being pro-union, would serve as an officer in the Confederate army. The Standard was a weekly Democratic paper that sold subscriptions for two dollars a year. The publication supported Union-Democrats and was not in favor of the pro-secession vote in the Georgia Secession Convention of 1861. The Standard would cease printing in 1864.