A Brief Photographic Tour of Upshur County History
(Continued)

GILMER MIRROR HISTORY
by
Sarah Laschinger Greene, Publisher
and Mary Laschinger Kirby

Issues of The Gilmer Mirror published in 1993 bear the volume number 116, indicating the newspaper's age. An official Texas state historical marker in front of the offices at the intersection of U. S. 271 and Hwy. 154 in Gilmer attest that it is the oldest business institution in Upshur County.

The Mirror traces its history back to Jan. 1, 1877, when it was established by W. C. Paul as The Upshur County Democrat. The next year he sold out to the Rev. Stockeley Rowan Chadick, a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, and L. A. (Louis) Barnard. By 1882 the masthead carried the legend, "Official newspaper of Upshur County."

In February of that year Chadick sold the newspaper to Judge J. J. Lyons, then county judge of Upshur County. He immediately changed the name of the newspaper to The New Issue. Only seven issues were published, for on April 5, 1882, the judge was murdered by his printer, A. W. Ashley.

The deed took place at the print shop, located on the present site of Historic Upshur Museum (the old Gilmer Post Office.) There were no eyewitnesses. The printer escaped before the murder was discovered. He was eventually arrested and brought back to Gilmer, but escaped again before he could be brought to trial.

Prof. J. P. Hart and Prof. W. S. Burks of Gilmer High School, then a private school that was later named the Lone Star Academy, were the next owners. With several partners, including B. F. Crosby, they published the newspaper under the name, The Texas Mirror, until 1888.

Their printer, J. E. Rawlins, became the next owner publisher, continuing with the same name until 1895, when he changed it to The Gilmer Mirror. Rawlins, a native of West Virginia, had served in the Confederate Army under General Stonewall Jackson's command.

The next editor of the county seat newspaper was W. F. Holmes, who came here from Boston, Mass. He moved the offices from the southeast corner of the square to the northwest corner of Henderson and Harrison Sts., a block south of the square. The back door opened onto what is now Silver Alley. Holmes always took this route when going to the square; many of these trips had the collection of money as their goal. Editor Holmes would ask for "a little silver today," and that was how the street came to be named.

J. W. Palmer and W. P. Duncan bought out Palmer in 1913, and within two months, Palmer became the sole publisher. The newspaper was moved back to the east side of the square and, in 1915, it was sold to George Tucker, a native of Alabama who had established the Brenham Press and the Taylor Press.

Tucker began a daily newspaper the following spring to promote a "good roads" bond issue to bring the first paved roads to the county. After the bond issue passed, the daily had become so popular that it was continued until World War II, when wartime shortages of personnel, materials and advertising required cutting back to weekly publication.

Tucker (1861-1934) was joined in the business in 1924 by his younger daughter, Georgia, (1901-1969) and her husband, a young Canadian, Russell H. Laschinger (1895-1974.) In 1953 the Laschingers became partners with their daughter, Sarah, and her husband, Ray H. Greene (1925 -1987.) Their son and daughter, William R.(Russ) Greene of Gilmer and Sally Greene of Chapel Hill, N.C. represent the fourth generation of this newspaper family and are officers in Greeneway Enterprises, Inc., which has owned the newspaper since 1977. Today Sarah Greene is president and publisher, and Russ, who is secretary-treasurer, assists his mother in the daytoday management.

A fire in 1941 destroyed the Mirror office on the east side of the square; the present building was completed just as World War II began and is still occupied today, having been remodeled three times.

For nearly fourfifths of the time since Upshur County was organized, The Gilmer Mirror, now published semi weekly, has chronicled its history. (An earlier fire destroyed the files of issues before 1905. Issues published since then are available on microfilm at the Upshur County Library.)
Taken from Reflections of Upshur County, Texas, published by The Gilmer Mirror, 1996.
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©Jere L. Jackson, Stephen F. Austin State University, P.O. Box 6134, Nacogdoches, Texas 75962 USA
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LAST MODIFIED: April 23, 1996