University of Virginia Library

NEW STATES,

Founded, and admitted into the Union, since the Revolution; and
Territories of the United States
.

As these states and territories were not settled, or were
not located as distinct governments, before 1775, I shall
only take notice of the period when the art was introduced
into them.


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Page 353

VERMONT.

This district became a state after the revolution; no
press had previously been established in it.[1]

Judah Paddock Spooner and Timothy Green, who
have been mentioned as printers at Norwich, in Connecticut,
removed from that place to Hanover in New Hampshire,
then claimed, with other towns on the east side of Connecticut
river, by the people inhabiting Vermont, where,
for a short time, they published a newspaper. They then
carried their press to Westminister, and were the first who
introduced printing into Vermont. In Westminster they
published The Vermont Gazette; or, Green Mountain Post
Boy
. This paper made its first appearance in February,
1781.

Spooner had the whole management of their printing
house, as Green still prosecuted the printing business in
New London. The firm continued only a short time.
Green relinquished his interest in it; and the press and
types which were owned by him were sold, after the lapse
of four or five years. George Hough was the purchaser.
He removed them to Windsor in 1783, and there formed
a partnership with Alden Spooner. Alden was the brother
of Judah.

 
[1]

The Vermonters had their printing done at Hartford, and before and
during the revolution, were dependent upon the columns of the Connecticut
Courant
to carry on their warfare with the citizens and authorities of
New York, respecting their title to the present territory of Vermont—M.


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KENTUCKY.

John Bradford began printing at Lexington, Kentucky,
in 1786. After which presses were set up at Frankfort,
and in other towns.

TENNESSEE.

R. Roulstone, from Massachusetts, set up a press at
Knoxville, 1793.

OHIO.

S. Freeman & Son introduced printing into Cincinnati
in 1795.

MISSISSIPPI TERRITORY.

A press was established at Natchez in 1815.

MICHIGAN TERRITORY.

Printing is said to have been introduced into Detroit in
1815.


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LOUISIANA.

Several printing houses were opened at New Orleans, as
soon as that country came under the government of the
United States.

Most of these new states and settlements, at the time of
the war were but little known. The white inhabitants
were but few, and they were scattered in solitary settlements,
or in a few straggling towns and villages through
a vast tract of country, where the art of printing had not
extended.[2]



No Page Number
 
[2]

It may be interesting to notice the gradual extension of printing beyond
the region embraced above. A paper was published in Maine at
Falmouth in 1785; in Missouri in 1806; Mississippi, 1808; Indiana, 1808;
Michigan, 1809; Illinois, 1814; Wisconsin, 1831; Texas, 1834; Iowa, 1836;
Oregon, 1847; California, 1848; Minnesota, 1849. These will be found
more particularly noticed under the account of Newspapers, in the next
volume.—M.