The Republican Archive

The weekly Republican newspaper was established in Oakland, the county seat of Garrett County, Maryland in 1877 by James A. Hayden (1842-1931). Hayden had learned the printing trade as an adolescent working for his hometown newspaper, the American Standard in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. After distinguished service in the Civil War during which he achieved the rank of captain, Hayden worked as a printer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before moving to Oakland in 1873. He founded the Republican in support of Benjamin Harrison during the presidential campaign of 1877 and was active in local party activities throughout his life. Hayden hired Benjamin H. Sincell (1869-1947) to learn the newspaper business and sold the Republican to Sincell at the age of 21 in 1890. The Republican remained in the Sincell family until 2017 when it was sold to NCWV Media, a regional conglomerate.

The Republican chronicled events in the westernmost region of Maryland, a mountainous area interspersed with valleys and glades of rich farmland. The region was first opened to settlement after construction of the National Road in 1817. The railroad arrived in the 1850s. Garrett County was created in 1872 and named in honor of John Work Garrett, the President of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O;) Railroad. The B&O; was instrumental in the development of the county as a resort destination, financing the construction of hotels and retreat communities such as Deer Park that offered a relieving cool climate during Maryland's hot summers. Although Oakland's permanent population was only around 1,200 in 1900, the Republican featured announcements of performances in the town's Opera House. Another important source of edification was the Mountain Chautauqua, where residents and summer visitors could attend lectures in an atmosphere of moral improvement. The campaign for women's suffrage found a local proponent in Lillian Sincell, the wife of the Republican's proprietor. In the 1920s, Deep Creek Lake was created as a hydro-electric development project, which had the added benefit of enhancing the county's recreational features. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps was active in Garrett County restoring forests and developing park lands. After World War II, the region became a year-round destination with both winter sports and summer attractions.