The ''Cambridge Chronicle'' is a weekly newspaper that serves Cambridge, Massachusetts. The newspaper was founded by Andrew Reid in May 1846 and is the oldest weekly newspaper in the United States.Cambridge Chronicle, May 30, 1996 Owned by
Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
History
Early Days
The ''Cambridge Chronicle'' was first published on May 7, 1846. A few days before, Cambridge was incorporated as a city, and Scotsman Andrew Reid seized on the opportunity to publish a weekly newspaper. Cambridge was home to the first printing press in the Colonies, and nearby Boston was home to the first newspaper. The '' Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick'' was founded in 1690, albeit short-lived. But beginning in the 18th century, Boston developed a vibrant newspaper industry.
Several newspapers were started in Cambridge. In 1775 and 1776. Cambridge was home to the ''New England Chronicle'', earlier known as the ''Essex Gazette''. In 1840, the ''Cambridge Magnolia'' started its two years of publication.
1846 to 1896
Cambridge developed a vibrant newspaper industry. The ''Cambridge Press'' was founded by James Cox in 1866. Its city editor, James W. Bean, became co-owner of the ''Chronicle'' in 1891. He set out on this venture with C. Burnside Seagrave, who had been with ''
The Cambridge Tribune
''The Cambridge Tribune'' was a weekly newspaper published in Cambridge, Massachusetts from 1878 to 1966. It was founded by D. Gilbert Dexter and began publication on March 7, 1878, from offices at Brattle Square in Old Cambridge. In 1885 Dexter ...
''. ''The Cambridge Tribune'' from 1878 to 1966 was a competitor. It had been founded by D. Gilbert Dexter, who had worked for the ''
Boston Journal
''The Boston Journal'' was a daily newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1833 until October 1917 when it was merged with the '' Boston Herald''.
The paper was originally an evening paper called the ''Evening Mercantile Journal''. Whe ...
'' as the Cambridge correspondent. The ''Cambridge News'' was founded by Daniel A. Buckley in 1879, who used it as a medium to promote his personal views. Since 1873, Cambridge's only daily newspaper has been '' The Harvard Crimson''.
Editors
The first publisher, Reid, died on January 4, 1847, and John Ford took over his role.Cambridge Chronicle, May 9, 1946 Charles Burnside Seagrave served as editor and publisher for over 40 years, up to his retirement in 1935. Another influential editor of the paper was Eliot Spalding. He joined the ''Chronicle'' in 1926, and in 1939 became its editor, a role he held until 1971.
Corporate ownership
The Dole family acquired the ''Cambridge Chronicle'' in the 1930s. They merged it with its rival paper, the ''Cambridge Sun'', in 1935. The family sold the newspapers to Fidelity Investments in 1991. It was integrated into the
Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company, or CNC, was the largest publisher of weekly newspapers in eastern Massachusetts in the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century. It also published several daily newspapers in Greater Boston.
The company's propertie ...
, another subsidiary of Fidelity Investment, in 1996.
The Community Newspaper Company was sold to the Boston Herald's owner, Herald Media, in 2001. It was again sold to GateHouse Media, in 2006.
The first editions were produced by hand press above the Holmes Grocery Store, on the corner of Magazine and Main Streets in Central Square. The paper is now printed in Framingham.
Circulation is down to 7,500 as of 2010.
The articles are also published on ''WickedLocal.com'', a website owned by the Community Newspaper Company. The classifieds are produced and shared across Community Newspaper Company's newspapers in the Greater Boston North area.