Corsicana Newspapers
Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first newspaper in Navarro County, called the "Prairie Blade," began publication in 1855 and was owned by Dan Donaldson. By 1859 the paper was owned by R. A. Van Horn who changed its name to the "Navarro Express." Paper was in short supply with the coming of the Civil War, and the "Express" was issued only when paper was available. Publications begun in Corsicana in the 1870s and 1880s included the "Odd Fellowship and Literature," the "Texas Observer," a four-sheet journal called the "Corsicana Methodist," and a literary magazine called "The Texas Prairie." The "Corsicana Semi-Weekly Light" first appeared on September 7, 1888. The "Corsicana Daily Sun" began publication March 2, 1895. Both papers were owned by the Sun-Light Publishing Company by 1895. In 1962 the Harte-Hanks Newspaper chain purchased both papers and established the news coverage area as the "Golden Circle," which represented a 30-mile radius of Corsicana. Harte-Hanks built a new facility and sold the "Corsicana Daily Sun" to Worrell Newspapers in 1987. The paper changed owners later in 1987, then in November, 1991, the "Daily Sun" was purchased by the American Publishing Company.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
From a single frontier sheet called the Prairie Blade in 1855, Corsicana grew a busy press culture as the town matured through the Gilded Age. Newsprint ran so scarce during the Civil War that its early paper could only appear when supplies allowed, and by the 1880s the community supported literary journals, denominational sheets, and competing dailies. The Corsicana Daily Sun, founded in 1895, carried that tradition into the twentieth century through a string of consolidations and chain ownerships.
Why it matters
Local newspapers were the connective tissue of small-town America, shaping civic identity and preserving the daily record of a community over generations.
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Related people
- · Dan Donaldson
- · R. A. Van Horn
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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