The Ohio Democrat Archive

The Hocking Hills region of southeastern Ohio was a growing area during the late 1800s and early 1900s. As a result of an expanding populace, two papers were established in Logan, the seat of Hocking County. The Hocking Sentinel began serving the Logan area in 1842, and the rival Ohio Democrat was established in 1886. Both were weekly, Democratic papers. The Sentinel grew under the watchful eye of proprietor and Editor Lewis Greene, while the Democrat was controlled by President Virgil Lowry and Editor J.B. Dollison. The two papers joined in 1906 to form the Democrat-Sentinel. In its final issue on March 15, 1906, the Hocking Sentinel discussed the merger of the two rivals, noting that it was “not quite sure whether it was a sale or marriage.” In contrast, the Ohio Democrat did not mention the merger in its last issue. However, in its inaugural issue on March 22, 1906, the Democrat-Sentinel declared that “being the only Democratic paper in Hocking county we know [our] success is assured.”

All three Logan papers specialized in local, state, and national news. They took particular interest in sporting news, specifically that of baseball results. Frequently, baseball stories, box scores, and other sports content covered the front page. For example, the July 19, 1906, issue of the Democrat-Sentinel describes how the Middleport baseball team “met their Waterloo” at the hands of the local Logan team. The issue devoted two front-page columns to the game, right next to news about Democratic Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan. These papers felt they best served their constituents by giving equal coverage to local and national events.