The Belle Center Herald-Voice
- Mary Mortimer
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Belle Center Herald-Voice newspaper was established in 1904 when The Herald and The Voice newspapers combined. There were several early newspapers published in Belle Center in the 1880s for a brief time that included The Weekly Paragrapher, Reporter, Star, Tribune, and News Gazette.
On September 23, 1951, Albert G. Wharton, former editor of the Belle Center Herald and Voice, published “The Story of the Herald-Voice”. He also wrote a regular “Memories” column for The Peninsular News at Marblehead, Ohio.
Wharton was born in Belle Center in 1877 and began peddling newspapers at age eight. When he was twelve years old, he old served as an apprentice with B.F. Long at the Belle Center Reporter office. He later worked for the Belle Center Pilot.
According to Wharton, around 1890, The Herald was established, edited, and published by Lee Dowell and Dolph McCoid. Their newspaper was printed on equipment that had been used by Alonzo McClain when he printed the Belle Center Pilot. However, The Herald was just as short-lived as the Pilot.
In 1893, a new Belle Center Herald was established with Guy Potter Benton, editor, Ralph Parlette, foreman, and George Wood Anderson, the “printer’s devil”. The trio successfully published the newspaper for about two years. All three men went on to have successful careers. Benton became president of the University of Vermont. Parlette was a well-known humorist, lecturer, editor of Lyceum magazine, and the author of several books, including “The University of Hard Knocks.” Anderson was a pastor and noted evangelist.
Leo L. Lemon became the new owner, editor, and publisher of the Belle Center Herald in 1896. The office staff included Albert G. Wharton, and sisters, Jennie and Bertha McClain. Lemon developed the Herald into a successful, money-making newspaper. It carried a large amount of advertising from the Belle Center area, Bellefontaine and Kenton. The subscription list grew steadily.
In 1898, Lemon accepted a job as editor of the Tipple Link newspaper in Springfield, Missouri. Wharton, at age twenty, then became the editor and publisher of the Belle Center Herald. During the Spanish American War, Belle Center native David A. Liggitt was the Herald’s war correspondent. He later served in the Ohio General Assembly for twenty-two years.
In 1899, Wharton retired, and Lloyd M. Richards became the third editor and publisher of the Herald. He was succeeded by M.D. Cring who had been affiliated with the Lakeview Vanguard. In 1900, Wharton and H.P. Ellis established the five-column, eight-page Belle Center Voice. Belle Center was able to support two newspapers.
In 1903, John C. and Mary Jane Martin of Forest purchased the Herald. The next year, the Martins purchased the Voice and combined the two newspapers to form the Belle Center Hearld-Voice. Wharton worked with the Martins until he accepted a position at a newspaper at Lakeside, Ohio.
The Martins made many improvements to the newspaper and enjoyed much success. During the holiday season, they printed 16- and 20-page papers. They operated the newspaper until they sold it to Preston Davis and A.H. Callaghan in November 1927.
In 1928, The Herald-Voice was sold to Ohio News, Inc. They had financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy. They hired J.E. “Eenie” Manahan to help publish the newspaper. He set up a printing shop over the grocery store on W. Main St. he owned with his brother, Guy.
By 1934, the Herald-Voice had outgrown its building and moved to a nearby larger location. The enlarged quarters enabled Manahan to buy a hand-fed Babcock press that printed four pages at a time on one side. He also installed an electric powered folder which eliminated folding papers by hand.
In 1935, the referee for the bankrupt Ohio News, Inc. contacted Manahan about purchasing the Herald-Voice. Manahan and his wife, Grace, purchased the newspaper and installed larger equipment that was capable of printing 3,000 papers per hour.
The Herald-Voice was damaged by fire in 1934 and in 1937, a larger fire destroyed the printing section. The September 2, 1937, issue of the Herald-Voice was printed on the DeGraff Journal press. Manahan purchased the St Paris News Dispatch weekly newspaper and printing plant and printed the Herald-Voice there until their facility was ready.
Grace Manahan passed away in June 1981. In October of the same year, Mr. Manahan leased the newspaper equipment to Roger and Brenda Beaverson. They operated the business until John and Mary Raspberry took over management in 1984. The Herald-Voice ceased operation on March 12, 1987. The Herald-Voice, also known as “The Weekly Squeak” by local residents, served the Belle Center community for over eighty years.
The History Center Archives has many of The Herald and Herald-Voice issues from 1900 to 1987.