Grateful Sunday-- thankful for The Johnsonburg Press
I often think about how rare it is that Johnsonburg has a newspaper. A paper that provides comfort for residents faraway, those lucky enough to live in the borough of Johnsonburg and has remarkably been in continuous operation for 130+ years.
Johnsonburg historian, Kevin "Reg" Barwin, tells us in the preface of his book, The Paper Boy from the Paper City, that besides the sports page his favorite column included "A Journey Through the Years-From the Files of the Johnsonburg Press." This popular column piqued his interest as to the prior happenings and chronicles of his beloved hometown; a fascination that resides inside of him to this day. It is from this engrossment with Johnsonburg's past that many years later he started to write about Johnsonburg history and that book is a humble product of his research and memoirs.
At the beginning of last summer, while visiting the Press office, I was given a brief tour around and took some photos. My head was spinning with questions but, I restrained myself.
As written in the National Register of Historic Places, 1999, Resource Inventory, number 26:
517 Market Street (Johnsonburg Press): 2-story Italianate vernacular commercial building of brick with corbeled brick ornament at cornice height; 3-bay upper facade with segmental-arched openings with 2-course brick voussoirs with replacement sash; storefront with two display windows and entries into interior (c. 1905)
bailing newspapers for delivery
antique newspaper bundle tyer machine still in use
I could look through the decades of papers for weeks. Wet squirrel paws short-circuit wires!
Drawers and drawers of newspaper type sets
My hope is that the Johnsonburg Press will be around for another 100+ years outliving us. Its unique voice delighting young and old through the decades.
“The newspaper is a greater treasure to the people than uncounted millions of gold.”— Henry Ward Beecher
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