The ''Berne Witness'' is a newspaper based in
Berne, Indiana
Berne (English: ɜːn is a city within Monroe and Wabash townships, Adams County, Indiana, United States, located south of Fort Wayne. The population was 4,173 at the 2020 Census. Berne is widely known for its Swiss heritage, architectur ...
, United States. It covers local community news with a circulation of 1,600. The paper was founded in 1896 as a 3-issue-per-week, bi-lingual,
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
ist newspaper. The ''Berne Witness'' was also referred to as the official printing house of the
Mennonite Church of the United States. Every issue had two pages published in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
for the town's mostly
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
and German immigrants. For the largest immigrant group in Indiana, this was important to help immigrants maintain their cultural identity while integrating into their new country.
Founding
The paper was founded in July 1896 by Fred Rohrer, a devout Mennonite and Prohibitionist. While campaigning to make the town dry, Rohrer was run from town, beaten up on four occasions, and had his house dynamited while he and his wife were sleeping by the saloon owners of the town. Interestingly enough his paper prospered during this time and ''gained'' more subscriptions.
History
*1896 founded as the ''Berne Witness'' by Fred Rohrer.
* 1922 became the ''Adams County Witness'', published by Berne Witness Co. the paper became English language only.
* 1932 name was changed back to ''Berne Witness''.
* 1974 Publishers Print House became publisher and changed the name to ''Adams County Sun'' and ''Berne Daily Witness''. Published daily except for Sundays.
* 1993 became the ''Berne Tri-Weekly''. Publisher
Sine nomine. The paper again became a 3-issue-per-week edition.
Current Status
* 2016 the paper reverted to its original ''Berne Witness'' name. It is once again published three times a week as well as online.
References
{{reflist
External links
*Twitter
@bernewitness*Instagram: Bernewitness
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebernewitness/
Newspapers published in Indiana
Adams County, Indiana