The Morning Herald Archive

The Morning Herald, the first morning daily newspaper founded in the state of Delaware, was first published on August 23, 1875, in Wilmington. Established by John O'Byrne, a Philadelphia attorney who had relocated to Wilmington, the Morning Herald was controlled by O'Byrne's three sons and sister under the name George O'Byrne and Company. The newspaper was issued at a cost of 1 cent per day or a mail subscription of $3.00 per year. The Morning Herald included national and local news as well as advertisements, classifieds, and notices of local amusements.

While the Morning Herald initially showed much promise, it later faltered due to poor management and financial losses. The final issue of the Morning Herald was published on February 23, 1880. In March of that year, it was purchased by John H. Emerson who, in partnership with Henry C. Conrad founded the Daily Morning News. The latter was published under that title from March 1 to October 16, 1880.

Following the withdrawal of Emerson as partner, Conrad entered into partnership with Isaac R. Pennypacker and changed the paper's name to the Morning News, under which title it was published until 1913 when the paper was renamed the Wilmington Morning News. In 1966, the title again changed to the Morning News, and following a merger with the Evening Journal, the newspaper was published under the title News Journal in 1975. The paper continues under that title today and is the preeminent newspaper in the state of Delaware.