A History of Newspapers in Homer, LA

By Bill W. Hightower

Claiborne Parish was first created in 1828 from a portion of Natchitoches Parish. All or parts of seven current parishes were formed from the old Claiborne Parish. The Minden Iris, started in 1848, was the first newspaper published within the boundaries of old Claiborne Parish. On February 15, 1851 Benjamin Dorsey Harrison (1824-1889), a Talladega, AL typographer, arrived in Homer, LA. He began publishing the Claiborne Advocate in June of that year. It was the first newspaper in present-day Claiborne parish. Attorney Frank Vaughan, who named the town of Homer, was the first editor, followed by James Madison Thomason (1812-1883). The paper was sold to attorney William Stran Custis (1823-1878) in 1855. Publication ceased with the onset of the Civil War. Myron Napier Bartlett (1836-1876), a public school teacher, attorney and journalist from New Orleans, bought the paper following his service in the Civil War, and served as editor until his death. The first issue of the short-lived Homer Times was dated April 1, 1858. The following newspapers are among the Egan family papers, housed in the archives of Northwestern State University at Natchitoches, LA: Claiborne Advocate - May 26, 1852 (Vol. 1 #48) and June 2, 1852 (Vol. 1 #49); Homer Times - April 1, 1858 (Vol. 1 #1).

An Arkansas native, William Jasper Blackburn (1820-1899) moved to Minden in 1849 where he established the Minden Herald and served as mayor from 1855 to 1856. He then moved to Homer and started the Homer Iliad in 1859. His unpopular opposition to the secession of Southern states from the Union and his anti-slavery stance forced him to stop publication for several years. Blackburn was tried in Confederate District Court for counterfeiting Confederate currency. A jury voted 11-1 to convict him; he would have faced death with a unanimous verdict. His friends intervened and he was eventually pardoned. When the Civil War ended, he resumed his Republican paper in the face of strong Democratic pressure during Reconstruction years. On July 8, 1868 his printing office was broken into, the type, press, and everything broken, scattered and destroyed. Again, on Nov. 17th, his office, type and presses were destroyed. In 1872 he was shot in the neck at a political rally held in Minden, but survived. Blackburn was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1867, and parish judge of Claiborne Parish for four years. Upon the readmission of the State of Louisiana to representation he was elected as a Republican to the Fortieth Congress and served from July 18, 1868, to March 3, 1869. Finally forced out of Claiborne Parish in 1878, he moved to Little Rock, AR and continued as a journalist.

In 1877 Adolphus McCranie (1831-1878) and James Hardyman Simmons (1832-1907) purchased the newspaper plant from Blackburn, who suspended publication of the Homer Iliad. They leased the plant to Benjamin D. Harrison. John R. Phipps (ca. 1849-1866) and Charles W. Seals (1861- 1929) also had interests in the new paper, which Harrison named the Claiborne Guardian. The first issue was dated August 22, 1877. Attorney Drayton B. Hayes (ca. 1848-1885) was the editor from 1877 to 1882. In the spring of 1881 attorney John Edwin Hulse (1854-1908) joined the paper. He became editor when he purchased the paper in January 1883 upon Harrison’s retirement. Dayton M. Harris bought the paper in 1886. In October 1888 the name was changed to the Homer Guardian. Oscar P. Oglivie (1864-1927) purchased Phipps’ interest in 1889, and then Charles Schaeffer (ca. 1867-1892) bought Seals’ interest.

After he sold the Claiborne Guardian, Harrison joined with Hulse and established The Louisiana Weekly Journal (first issue January 13, 1886). Oglivie purchased this paper in June, 1890 and consolidated it with the Homer Guardian (last issue June 30, 1890) to produce The Guardian-Journal (first issue June 18, 1890) with J. E. Hulse as editor. After Hulse’s death in 1908, his son Dillard Hulse (1884-1944) operated the paper until he died in 1944. J. P. Hightower (1905- 1971) and Joel E. Smith (1889-1969) purchased the paper, and Hightower bought Smith’s part in 1945. The Guardian-Journal was originally located just east of the square on the south side of North Main Street.

Another paper was The Clipper, with Judson W. Smith (1869-1944), editor and Richard J. Harrison (1866-1942), publisher. It appeared from Sept. 9, 1896 to Dec. 26, 1902. Smith, a Summerfield native, had been editor of the defunct Inter-State News at Junction City. The office of The Clipper (telephone #1 in Homer) was on “Market” street (South Main) at the rear of W. A. “Sandy” Johnston’s jewelry store, which was located on the west side of the court house square at the south end of the block. The Clipper consolidated with The Guardian-Journal on January 7, 1903, with J. E. Hulse, editor, and J. W. Smith, business manager. On April 27, 1904 J. W. Smith left to work at a Monroe, LA paper. Dillard Hulse became co-owner with his father J. E. Hulse until the latter died in 1908. In 1931 Mrs. Walton E. McKee (1893-1988) became co-owner with Dillard Hulse.

George H. Dismukes, owner and editor of the Columbia Echo in Magnolia, AR for six months, sold it in 1887, moved to Haynesville, LA and established the Haynesville Star in March 1889. After selling that paper, he moved to Homer. On May 29, 1890 his first weekly issue of the Southern Agriculturist appeared. It was affiliated with the Farmers’ Alliance of Claiborne Parish. Dismukes was the editor and owner, and J. Edd Goodson (1870-1923) was the publisher.

By September 1892 William Capers Flynt (1861-1927) was publishing the Alliance Farmer, an apparent successor to the Southern Agriculturist. Flynt gave notice on January 25, 1899 that his paper would cease publication. In April 1901 Lannie Martin Nelson (1876-1966), bought the printing plant and moved the equipment to Haynesville where he used it to publish the Haynesville Democrat. Nelson began his newspaper career as associate editor and typesetter with the first issue of the Ruston Leader in 1894.

On April 2, 1909 the first issue of The Homer Herald was published by Professor C. J. Kennerly, who had taught at Homer High School. In November of that year Andrew R. Johnson (1856-1933), mayor of Homer, bought the paper and it was operated by his son Patrick Henry Johnson (1887-1956). In March 1910 the printing plant was sold to the town of Haynesville, and Oscar P. Oglivie of Shreveport was employed to oversee the new paper, which was called The Haynesville News. Elizabeth Carroll Robertson (1909-1983) established the Homer News, a weekly appearing on Fridays. Her paper was published from Jan. 29, 1937 through Dec. 25, 1940, when it was absorbed by The Guardian-Journal.

Contributed 2020 Oct 01 by Wesley Harris