The Monroe News celebrates 200 years
The first issue of what would become today's Monroe News was published Friday, June 3, 1825, according to the Library of Congress. Back then, the paper was called The Michigan Sentinel, and it came out weekly. The four-page paper cost 5 cents a copy.
The Michigan Sentinel reported on a time when Toledo wasn't yet a city and mail arrived twice a week by pony carrier, according to Monroe News archives. Monroe's namesake, President James Monroe, was the U.S. president in 1825.
The Monroe County Museum will soon open a Monroe News bicentennial exhibit at its museum, 126 S. Monroe St. in Monroe, and at this summer's 2025 Monroe County Fair, said the museum's Lynn Reaume.
In 200 years, the local newspaper went from a weekly to a daily publication and it had several name changes. It all began with Editor Edward D. Ellis, who also is the namesake of the Monroe County Library System's Ellis Library & Reference Center. Ellis advocated for the use of penal fines to create and maintain public libraries.
Ellis came to Monroe from Buffalo, New York and brought his printing presses with him. He served as the Monroe paper's editor, reporter, printer and pressman. He was a delegate to the Michigan Constitutional Convention and helped write the state's constitution, according to Monroe News archives.
After Ellis left the area, the Morton family took over ownership of the paper, then called The Monroe Times. Morton family member J. Sterling Morton of Monroe established the first Arbor Day.
Previous Coverage: April 25 is Arbor Day. Did you know it was started by a former Monroe man?
Some of the former names of the paper included: The Monroe Advocate, The Monroe Commercial, The Monroe Democrat, The Monroe Record and The Monroe Record-Commercial. The News' former longtime office on West First Street in downtown Monroe was built in 1910 for The Monroe Democrat. The Monroe Evening News name began in 1918.
Like the publication's name, technology also changed through the years.
Ellis used a hot-metal letterpress. Later came typewriters, type-setting machines and linotype machines. News from around the world once came to the local office through Associated Press teletype machines. By 1975, The Monroe Evening News was already starting to use computers.
'We wish that Edward Ellis were here to view the Monroe County, the Michigan and the U.S. of today, the growth, the change and mechanical evolution that a century and a half have wrought," said a story in The News' 1975's, 150th anniversary special section. "In the 10 years from 1965-75, a printing revolution has taken place. From a time when virtually every newspaper printed used technology virtually unchanged since the invention of the linotype machine, the time has arrived when virtually every newspaper has either already converted its production process to photocomposition or is in the process of doing it."
More milestones for the newspaper followed. After years of publishing six days a week, the first Sunday paper was published April 9, 1989. The News' website, MonroeNews.com, debuted in 1996.
A major change occurred in 1998, when the 1924 and '32 printing presses were retired. The large rolling presses were a longtime common sight around lunchtime at The Monroe News' former downtown Monroe building. At full speed, the presses could print 24,000 papers an hour.
Replacing the old presses were new, full-color presses. They were installed in a facility on Monroe's Huber Drive. The first full-color issue of The Monroe Evening News was published Sept. 14, 1998.
The Monroe News became the paper's official name on Sept. 1, 2013. 'Evening' was dropped because the paper had started morning delivery. But, the name change also signified a new direction in news reporting.
'We have dropped the word 'evening,' completing the move that has been a long time coming. When accompanied by our website, social media and digital offerings, the news we provide simply isn't tied to a specific time of day — or night — anymore,' said then editor Deborah Saul.
Previous Coverage: 14K historic local newspaper pages now online
Previous Coverage: Preserving Monroe County's record
In 2000, The Monroe News' 175 anniversary was celebrated with a community open house, attended by 800 people. In 2000, staff photographers were still shooting 300 rolls of film a week. Today, all photography is digital.
Monroe News' other print products through recent years have included: CoverStory, Prime Times, User's Guide, Saving Sense, Homes Plus, Bedford Now and several pictorial books on local history.
Support local news: Subscribe for all the latest local developments, breaking news and high school sports content.
Today, The Monroe News' office is at 23 E. Front St., Suite 103 in downtown Monroe. Printed papers are produced six days a week; the Saturday paper is an electronic only edition. News is updated daily online at MonroeNews.com and The Monroe News Facebook page.
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Happy 200th anniversary, Monroe News
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