Times Publishing Company
Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Ed Howard, a pioneer area publisher, acquired a local newspaper in 1898. His "Weekly Times" became a daily afternoon paper in 1907, soon after several leading Wichita Falls businessmen established the Times Publishing Company to provide financial support for the operation. That same year Howard was joined in the business by Ben D. Donnell, a newspaperman from Indiana, who served first as city editor. Under their direction the paper became a leader in the promotion of Wichita Falls civic activities and commerce. News stories recorded the development of the city and the railroad, local oil discoveries, and the growth of the area cattle industry. Howard also served as city postmaster, 1916-1924, and as a University of Texas regent. Following his death in 1948, his son Rhea became the publisher. A leader in the state Democratic party, Rhea Howard served as an informal advisor to three presidents. The Times Publishing of the Wichita Falls "Record News", a morning paper. Throughout the years of operation, members of the Howard and Donnell families have provided leadership for the firm. (1980)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Ed Howard acquired a Wichita Falls newspaper in 1898, the North Texas town was on the cusp of a boom that railroads, cattle, and the discovery of oil would soon fuel. His weekly grew into a daily afternoon paper in 1907, backed by local businessmen who formed the Times Publishing Company, and the paper chronicled the young city's rise. Under Howard, his son Rhea, and the Donnell family, the firm also came to publish the morning Record News and became a fixture of civic life for generations.
Why it matters
Local newspapers like this one were the connective tissue of booming Western towns, recording and often promoting the growth that turned raw settlements into cities.
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Related people
- · Ed Howard
- · Ben D. Donnell
- · Rhea Howard
Themes & tags
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