Georgia Historic Newspapers

The Henry County Weekly began, under the management of John G. Caldwell, as the Hampton Ledger in October 1875. The city of Hampton was established in 1873 near the Central of Georgia Railway, and the Ledger was established to serve the burgeoning town. In June 1876, a stock company of prominent Hampton residents headed by R. T. Harper, bought the Ledger and renamed it the Henry County Weekly. James E. “Jim” Brown became the paper’s editor-in-chief and W. T. Read also served the paper in an editorial capacity. In February 1881, R. T. Harper sold all his shares to Brown and John W. Timberlake who subsequently purchased new printing materials for the Weekly. They enlarged the paper to a seven-column sheet, which allowed them to accommodate more news items and advertisements. In March 1881, Hugh N. McDonald acquired Timberlake’s interest in the paper, but he then sold out to J. A. Fouche in August 1882. Between late 1882 and February 1883, Brown and Fouche moved the Weekly’s printing operation ten miles northeast to McDonough. Although Hampton was more populous at the time, McDonough was both the county seat and most central city. Until the 1890s, the Henry County Weekly printing plant and offices was the largest building in McDonough. In August 1886, J. A. Fouche, who now owned the entire newspaper, took a position at the Hawkinsville Dispatch and sold the Weekly to Charles M. Speer. Fouche returned in 1890, however, and remained associated with the newspaper for the next 18 years. From 1888 to 1891, the Henry County Times competed with the Weekly for subscribers. Both newspapers supported the Democratic Party and circulated every Friday at a subscription cost of one dollar. Given their similarities, the paper’s merged in 1891, and published as the Henry County Times and Henry County Weekly until Spring 1892 when the title was shortened to Henry County Weekly. From 1908 to 1922, R. L. Johnson, Frank Reagan, A. L. Fouche, W. A. Clements, and B. S. Elliott all had editorial tenures with the newspaper. Today, the paper circulates daily as the Henry Herald and continues to serve as Henry County’s paper of record.

Provided by: Digital Library of Georgia