Moundsville Echo

Moundsville Echo

Type	Weekly newspaper
Format	Broadsheet
Owner(s)	Moundsville Echo, LLC
Founder(s)	James Davis Shaw
Publisher	Charlie M. Walton
Founded	1891 (1891)
Language	English
Headquarters	Moundsville, West Virginia
Circulation	2,750 (as of 2016)
OCLC number	13148366

The Moundsville Echo is a weekly newspaper serving Moundsville, West Virginia and surrounding Marshall County since 1891.[1] The paper had a circulation of 2,750 in 2016. It is owned by Moundsville Echo, LLC[2] and published by Charles M. Walton.[3] In 2024, the daily newspaper briefly closed and relaunched as a weekly published on Thursdays.[4]

History

The Echo was founded in 1891 by James Davis Shaw as the Moundsville Echo, a weekly.[5] In 1896, it went to daily publication.[6] Shaw billed it as an independent paper, featuring the slogan "The news unbiased and unbossed" on the masthead.[7]

On J.D. Shaw's death in 1917, the publication passed to his son, Samuel Craig Shaw.[8] Shaw's politics were largely Democratic, and in those years he was a proponent of barring black voters to ensure a Democratic victory.[9]

The paper was passed down in turn to Samuel Cockayne Shaw in 1951. In 1984, the Echo was up to a circulation of 5,000, published in a nine-column format and adhering to its publisher's penchant for Simplified Spelling.[10] Sam C. Shaw, who was nicknamed the Flying Turtle because of his slow running, was a beloved tinkerer who was known for collecting news via his bike route.[11] He designed and installed several electronic systems in the town, including the fire alarm system, which did not work during its unveiling ceremony. Shaw rigged the system using a toaster and the system worked, and continued to work for several years using the toaster.[11] Sam C. Shaw operated the paper until his death in 1995.[12]

After Shaw's death, the paper was published and edited by Charles "Charlie" L. Walton from 1995 until 2014; he died in 2019 at the age of 78.[13] The paper was then published by his son Charlie M. Walton.[14]

In June 2024, The Echo closed after 133 years in business due to a staff shortage. A handwritten note was left on the paper's office door that read “The Echo Is Permanently Closed Due To Lack of Help.”[15] Walton said he and two part-timers were the paper's only employees. He was unsuccessful in hiring more workers and decided to stop publication.[14] In July, Walton announced the paper will relaunch as a weekly and be renamed to the Moundsville Weekly Echo.[4]

Related Resources

• List of newspapers in West Virginia

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. "Moundsville Daily Echo". Mondo Times. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
4. Wright, D.K. (July 8, 2024). "Moundsville Echo will return as a weekly newspaper after briefly shutting down". WTRF. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
5. "About The Moundsville echo". Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
6. "About The Moundsville daily echo". Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
7. Schramm, Robert W. (2004). Moundsville. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738517353.
8. "Samuel Shaw". Arizona Republic. Associated Press. 2 January 1957. p. 15. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
9. The Tammany Times. Tammany Publishing Company. 1903.
10. "70-year-old editor attacks every day with newfound zeal". Lincoln Journal Star. 28 October 1984. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
11. Ryan Harshman, Cheryl (February 12, 2024). "Sam Shaw". e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
12. "Newspaperman Sam Shaw Dies at 82". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. December 23, 1995. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
13. "Former West Virginia newspaper publisher Charlie Walton dies". Associated Press. 2019-02-05. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
14. "West Virginia newspaper, the Moundsville Daily Echo, halts operations after 133 years". Associated Press. 2024-06-04. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
15. Wright, D.K. (2024-06-03). "Moundsville Daily Echo newspaper closes after 133 years "due to lack of help"". WTRF. Retrieved 2024-06-03.