The ''Altoona Tribune'' was a daily newspaper in

Blair County, Pennsylvania Blair County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 122,822. Its county seat is Hollidaysburg. The county was created on February 26, 1846, from parts of Huntingdon and Bedford counties. Blai ...

. It was in operation from 1856 to 1957.

History

It was launched on January 1, 1856, by Ephraim B. McCrum and William M. Allison, with equipment purchased from the defunct ''Altoona Register''. Two years later, H. C. Dern acquired Allison's share of the company, and in 1875, Hugh Pitcairn replaced McCrum. Dern and Pitcairn started publishing daily issues in 1873. These were discontinued after two years, but resumed in 1878. The ''Tribune'' occupied its own three-story building at 1110 12th Street, with the press room in the basement, circulation and advertising on the first floor, the editorial department on the second floor and the composing room on the third floor. Adam J. Greer was one of the first editors, and was followed by William H. Schwartz. Schwartz had been associated with local newspaper work for more than thirty years, and achieved widespread recognition for his editorials. Mr. Dern died in 1905, but his family retained his interest in the paper. Hugh Pitcairn became the president, and the ''Tribune'' remained in control of Pitcairn and the Dern family until 1912, when Col.

Henry W. Shoemaker Henry Wharton Shoemaker (February 24, 1880 – July 14, 1958) was a prominent American folklorist, historian, diplomat, writer, publisher, and conservationist. Early life, family, and career Shoemaker was born in New York City, but was closely ...

assumed ownership and merged it with two other papers, the ''Altoona Gazette'' and the ''Altoona Times''. AltoonaTribune 5Apr1860

Under the Pitcairn-Dern ownership, the ''Tribune'' maintained a wide circulation (42,000 in 1899), and appeared each morning. Its political stance was "independent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

", and it described itself as "progressive". The new owner, Shoemaker, wrote a weekly column in which he covered regional folklore and history and called for conservation and neighborhood beautification efforts. The ''Tribune'' ended publication with the issue of December 31, 1957, citing rising labor and material costs. The ''Tribune'' was inducted into the Blair County Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame on October 15, 2012. There was also a newspaper called ''The Altoona Tribune,'' which served Altoona, Wisconsin, and which closed in 1947.

References

External links

Digitized ''Altoona Tribune'' editions, 1858–1865
{{Authority control Defunct newspaper companies of the United States 1856 establishments in Pennsylvania 1957 disestablishments in Pennsylvania