The newspapers in DeKalb County are, and have been, as varied as the clouds floating in the sky. As with these clouds, local newspapers have good and bad days depending on the news and the reader.
The first newspaper in DeKalb County was the “Independent” by W. H. Mott before the Civil War. The “Independent” was a weekly (One weekly), as have been all of the county’s newspapers. In 1894, “The Alexandria Times” began publication and continued for more than 25 years. Its editor and publisher was Rob Roy. In Liberty, it was the “Liberty Herald” newspaper published between1886 and 1900 by Will A. Vick, wrote Thomas G. Webb in his book, A Bicentennial History of DeKalb County, Tennessee.
Following the Civil War, Smithville was the home to many newspapers, which didn’t last very long. No known copies now exist. The names and publishers of these early newspapers are:
· HIGHLAND SUN, A. Max Ford
· THE JOURNAL, A. C. Carnes
· SMITHVILLE INDEX, W. B. Carnes, 1880-84
· WATCHMAN AND CRITIC, Dozier and Kelly
· SMITHVILLE TIMES, Dillard and Shields, 1888.
On June 19, 1891, the first edition of “The Smithville Review” was published. The first owner and publisher was Perry C. Wallace, the 28-year-old son of David Wallace, Sr. who owned McMinnville’s “New Era” newspaper. In 1894, Perry sold his interest in the Review to his younger brother, Frank Wallace, who was very well liked. Yearly subscription cost was $1.00.
Things changed for the better when in 1905, Wallace hired as editor, Eugene Hendon, age 34, of Shelbyville, Tennessee. Little did Hendon know that he would be the Review editor for the next 41 years. In 1907, Hendon bought the newspaper from Frank Wallace, who died at age 37 in 1908.
During World War II, Brown Davis was editor of the newspaper for three years. Sam Colvert took over in 1931 until 1946. In 1947, Bill Dyer became editor of The Review until 1965, later becoming an attorney-at-law. The newspaper was then purchased by the James White family of McMinnville, Tennessee. It was during this time that Dorothy Isabell Walker became the editor and my mentor. It was an important time in my life, as she introduced me to the preparation and formation of newspapers. Walker remained there until 1991, when Dennis Stanley became editor, followed by Tom Duggin. In 1978, the newspaper was sold to the present owner, Morris Newspaper Corporation of Savannah, Georgia. Angie Pitman Meadows is the current managing editor of The Review.
Since 1975, I have been employed at The Review from various dates and times. For many years, I was the only local person with an English-journalism degree. Nothing compares to seeing your personal by-line scratched on the newspaper’s white surface.
Please continue to keep The Smithville Review alive and well. In today’s society, newspaper ink is being replaced by online computer ink in many corporate and private entities.
