The Fulton Democrat

Elizabeth Bohanan
Chapman School, Farmington

The first issue of the Fulton Democrat was printed at the newspaper office. The period between 1850 and 1870 was an important one in newspaper history in Illinois, and the Fulton Democrat played no small role in helping to shape and define both the future of newspapers and policies in the Midwest.

The Fulton Democrat is the oldest established business in Fulton County. It was founded in July 1855 by James Monroe Davidson, who at age twenty-seven left a successful career as a music teacher to become a trendsetter in the world of newspaper publishing. The Fulton Democrat is like a small, family-owned business. Editors Wayne Hearn, Wendy Maritain and Ruth Lynn have been with the Democrat since 1973.

When the Fulton Democrat was founded 140 years ago the newspaper provided national and international news on the front page, generally under a column headed "Editorial Savorings." The front page included a poem written by Genuine Marsh. The Democrat was a success from the very start. Davidson sent out seven hundred copies of the first issue. The price was $1.50 in advance or $2 if the subscriber wished to pay at year's end. By September of the first year, just two months later, the Democrat boasted more than one thousand subscribers, and it grew. Before the Democrat printed the issue, the lines were counted in the newspaper. If the newspaper was not as long as it was supposed to be, they added another column. As the name indicated, the paper defended "national or old-line democracy not with more specious voice or uncertain aim, but with unflagging and determined purpose."

Editor W. T. Davidson was also generally recognized as the master force behind the promotion and building of the Fulton County narrow gauge railway, which provided an important transportation link in the days before paved roads and automobiles. The sixty-one miles of three-foot-gauge railroad was popularly known as the "Pavane" for its winding, twisting pike that extended south from Galesburg to West Havana.

The following are presently responsible for the Fulton Democrat. Robert L. Martin, Jr. is the publisher; Ruth W. Lynn is the editor and manager; Nancy Etter is the Lewistown office manager; Staley Etler manages the Cuba office; Mart Sarff is the composition editor; and Dan Pitcher is the circulation manager.

This weekly newspaper has provided invaluable community service to its readers and maintained the highest principles of journalism. The Fulton Democrat is also unique in that it has remained in the same family since its founding. It is a tribute to the Martin family and also a tribute to the citizens of Fulton County.—[From: "The Fulton Democrat Observes 140 Years," the Fulton Democrat, July 12, 1995; "A Peek at First Issue," the Fulton Democrat, July 12, 1995; "Oldest Family Business," the Fulton Democrat, July 12, 1995; "Salutatory," the Fulton Democrat, July 12, 1995.]

At one time, newspapers were the only source for local information, and even the most rural communities relied on them. Like the Fulton Democrat, this small newspaper in Mendota was founded in the mid-l800s.

60 ILLINOIS HISTORY/APRIL 1997