Introduction
The Titusville Herald was a five-day morning newspaper that covered Crawford County news and was published in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Until it stopped printing on November 5, 2022, it was the oldest daily newspaper in the Pennsylvania Oil Region. It was founded on June 14, 1865.
The Titusville Herald is a daily newspaper with a broadsheet format. It was founded on June 14, 1865, by William WirtBloss and Henry Culver Bloss. It was published by Michael Sample and edited by Lori Drumm. It was last published on November 5, 2022, at its headquarters at 209 W. Spring Street in Titusville, Pennsylvania.
The Titusville Herald’s Past
Brothers William and Henry Bloss founded The Titusville Morning Herald on June 14, 1865. William Bloss was both an abolitionist and a newspaperman when he was born on March 25, 1831, in Rochester. He went to Western Pennsylvania to look for work in the expanding oil industry after serving in the American Civil War.
In 1865, William and his brother Henry purchased the Oil Creek Reporter and Titusville Gazette. Henry and his partner, J. H. Cogswell, purchased William’s share of the newspaper in 1872 after the brothers frequently disagreed about how to run the paper. Henry bought The Evening Courier, The Evening Club, The Evening Journal, The Morning Star, The Evening Press, The Evening News, and The Daily Courier as he continued to expand the publication.
The paper chronicled the growth of the oil industry following Colonel Edwin Drake’s establishment of Drake Well in 1859 and the subsequent discovery of petroleum in Oil Creek. Along Oil Creek[6], the Herald reported on oil prices and the 1865 inauguration of the Oil Creek Railroad.
Additionally, the Titusville Morning Herald reported on social issues affecting Titusville, a town whose population and size had exploded during the oil boom. Stories about gangs, prostitution, and arson are published in the paper. Henry Bloss and the other editors suggested lynching those found guilty during the devastating fire in 1866 that destroyed downtown commercial buildings but spared the Herald offices.
After Henry Bloss died in 1893, his wife Sarah continued to run the newspaper until her passing in 1916. The newspaper was run by their son Joseph Bloss until 1921. Edgar Taft Stevenson purchased the Herald following Joseph’s tenure as editor. Known as “the newspaper man’s newspaper man,” Edgar Stevenson edited the newspaper until he died in 1956. The paper was made available to future generations by the Stevenson family.
Michael Sample was the paper’s publisher from 1993 until his death on January 3, 2022.[11] The last issue was printed on November 5, 2022.
After 157 years, The Titusville Herald will cease publication permanently.
The headline “The Titusville Herald says thank you, and goodbye” appeared on the front page of the newspaper’s Saturday edition.
In the announcement, the newspaper stated, “The owners of The Titusville Herald regret the decision we had to make today.” This is the last issue of the Herald that has been published since 1865, and we are afraid that we will have to shut down the paper.
The statement continued, “Mike Sample, the Herald’s longtime Publisher, passed away on January 3 of this year.” Mike worked for The Titusville Herald his entire life, fixing copiers and delivering newspapers when needed.
On June 14, 1865, the newspaper’s first issue, dubbed “The Titusville Morning Herald” at the time, was published. The newspaper has recently been published every day, except Sundays and Mondays.
The newspaper states that refunds will be given to subscribers.
The entire statement is available below.
“The Titusville Herald’s owners are sorry for the choice we had to make today. We are afraid that we will have to close the Herald’s doors, and this will be the last issue of the paper that has been published since 1865,” the owners stated.
Mike Sample, the Herald’s longtime publisher, passed away on January 3rd. Mike worked for The Titusville Herald his entire life, fixing copiers and delivering newspapers when needed.
No one is sadder than we are that this newspaper has stopped being a part of this community since 1865. Over these lengthy years, we are grateful to the Titusville community and all of our readers for their support, trust, and even criticism. Subscribers will receive refunds from The Herald, but we ask for your patience during our transition.
Please contact us at [email protected] or call (814) 827-3634 and leave a message if you have any inquiries. The refunds for everyone’s subscriptions will be handled as soon as possible.
