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The portrait of Thomas Denny Webb looking down on visitors to the John Stark Edwards House shows a thoughtful, formally dressed gentleman, born in Connecticut, with a slightly curled mouth, as if holding back a smile.
Webb, who traveled to Warren in 1807 to build a new life for himself, purchased the John Stark Edwards House in 1813 after Edwards’ death. He left a lasting legacy here, both in the home and in the community, until his death in 1865.
A lawyer by training, Webb was best known as Warren’s first reporter. In fact, the current Tribune Chronicle is a descendant of Webb’s first article, titled The Trump of Fame, first published in 1812.
But Webb had no intention of calling his newspaper The Trump of Fame originally.
“Webb intended to call his startup newspaper The Voice of the Wilderness, but by bringing his printing press to our area, he lost some of the typeface needed for the press. The lost type consisted of the letters ‘v’ and ‘w’, which made it impossible to form the words ‘voice’ and ‘wilderness’. joked Brenda Linert, editor-in-chief of Tribune Chronicle.
The reason why he chose the name The Trump of Fame is lost to history, but it is under this title that the newspaper took off. The newspaper was the first to publish the story of Commodore Perry’s victory at the Battle of Lake Erie.
“The newspaper was published for many years under the Trump of Fame name, and under certain successor names, as a weekly until 1883, when it became a daily rebranded as the Warren Daily Chronicle. Linert said.
Meanwhile, a competing newspaper, The Warren Tribune, had started to appear in 1876. This newspaper was known to have launched the career of newspaper magnate Zell Hart Deming. She started at the newspaper as the editor-in-chief of the company, which was not uncommon for women at the time. However, Deming’s drive and common sense drew her to leadership positions.
“She had demonstrated such skill and business acumen that within a year, she was elected secretary and treasurer of the newspaper and had the opportunity to purchase shares in the newspaper. ‘business. In four years, she had acquired the majority of the shares of the company ”, Linert said.
After Deming acquired the majority of the shares, she appointed herself as a publisher.
“It was a remarkable decision because at that time the pitch was so dominated by men,” he said. Linert explained. “She was so successful in running her newspaper that she eventually became the first woman to be a member of The Associated Press.”
In 1924, Deming was able to purchase the competing newspaper, the Warren Daily Chronicle, and merge the two newspapers to form the Warren Tribune Chronicle. She moved the Chronicle’s operations to the Franklin Street building in downtown Warren, where the Tribune Chronicle newspaper is still active today.
Some may not know that Deming was also a strong supporter of local artists. She sponsored Warren painter Carl Schmitt to study in New York City, and also provided funds for her nephew, Hart Crane, who marked the world of poetry as a contemporary of TS Elliot. His poem “The bridge” was written in direct response to Elliot’s now canonized “The land of waste.”
But Deming’s legacy didn’t end with her. His daughter, Helen Hart Hurlbert, took possession of the newspaper after her mother’s death, and Helen’s daughter, Zell Draz, became the owner of the newspaper to continue a three-generation newspaper dynasty. Helen Hart Hurlbert has become one of the best known women in the Warren community, affectionately known as “the boss” by its employees and even started its own radio station, WHHH.
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