St. Marys Oracle

The St. Marys Oracle is a newspaper serving St Marys, West Virginia, and surrounding Pleasants County.[1] Published weekly, it has a circulation of 2,006 and is owned by West Central Publishing Inc.[2]

The paper was established in 1877 as the Democratic weekly The Observer by M. P. Prettyman,[3] who bought the printing plant of the failed West Virginia Methodist Protestant.[4] Prettyman, a schoolteacher who had developed an interest in typography, taught himself over a series of weekends to set type and run the press.[4] He would later change the name to The Oracle in 1881.[5] it passed through a number of owner's before becoming R. A. Gallagher purchased it and changed the name to the St Marys Oracle in 1885.[6] For a period of 15 years Gallagher ran it, selling a half interest to Robert L. Pemberton in 1902 who managed it from that time forward, buying the full interest in 1909.[4]

By 1920 it had a circulation of 1,000.[7]

In 2003, the paper sued the Pleasants school board, claiming it had violated the state's Sunshine Laws by not providing adequate details in a meeting where layoffs were proposed.[8] The two parties were able to resolve the lawsuit out of court, with the paper agreeing that the omission had been unintentional.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Newspapers Currently Received in the West Virginia Archives and History Library" (PDF). West Virginia Division of Culture and History. State of West Virginia. December 2016.
  2. ↑ 2016 West Virginia Press Association Newspaper Directory (PDF). West Virginia Press Association. 2016.
  3. ↑ "About The Observer". Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Pemberton, Robert L. (1929). A History of Pleasants County, West Virginia. Clearfield. p. 104. ISBN 9780806351599.
  5. ↑ "About The oracle". Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "About The St. Marys oracle". Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  7. ↑ Harris, John T. (1920). West Virginia Legislative Hand Book and Manual and Official Register. Charleston, West Virginia: Tribune Printing Company. p. 799.
  8. ↑ Associated Press (10 May 2003). "Papers sue Pleasants school board". The Charleston Gazette.
  9. ↑ Associated Press (29 August 2003). "Newspapers, Pleasants board to resolve lawsuit". The Associated Press State & Local Wire.
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