The Tipton Advertiser Archive

The Cedar County News-Letter was originally published in the small town of Rochester, Iowa, in 1852. It was published by Nelson C. Swank, who had originally settled in Cedar County in July 1839. After one year of publishing, Swank sold the press, type, and other materials to Charles Swetland, who moved them to Tipton. Swetland changed the title to the Cedar County Advertiser, but the first few issues published in November 1853 were printed with the Cedar County News-Letter masthead. The first issue with the Cedar County Advertiser title appeared on December 3. Wells Spicer and Hermon C. Piatt served as editors.

The Advertiser’s motto was “Independent in all things – neutral in nothing,” and in an introductory editorial, Swetland wrote, “Political matters will be beneath our notice. We will eschew them as an owl does daylight.” Instead, the paper would be “devoted to literature, agriculture, mechanics, education, and general intelligence.” As the title suggests, advertisements make up a large portion of the paper’s content. The first page often consisted of poetry and serialized fiction, and occasionally other miscellaneous items. The second page featured local, state, and national news of interest, and the third and fourth pages were mostly ads, business cards, and a few additional articles.

Publication was suspended from June 24 to July 8, 1854. During this time, the Advertiser moved to a new office and Swetland and Piatt left the business, leaving Spicer as sole editor and proprietor. In January 1856, Spicer changed the title of the paper to the Tipton Advertiser, and later that year Samuel Dewell joined him as part owner.  By September 1857, the paper was in entirely new hands, owned by Norman and Henry Moffett and Simeon Daniels, with Daniels serving as editor. The Advertiser’s content had become increasingly political by this time, aligning with the Republican Party and advocating on behalf of Republican candidates in local, state, and national elections.

Throughout the next century, the paper continued to publish weekly under a number of different editors and proprietors. In October 1962, the Tipton Advertiser merged with the Bennett Gazette to become the Tipton Advertiser & the Bennett Gazette. In January 1970, it merged with the Tipton Conservative, and still publishes today as the Tipton Conservative and Advertiser.