For nearly 130 years, local newspapers have served Hernando County. When Hernando Today closed their doors in November of 2014, many were saddened by the loss. That is why we ventured into the world of newspaper publication. A newspaper serves to bring a community together and keep community members abreast of recent changes in government, education and business as well as significant events. It also provides an avenue for recollection, giving new residents an opportunity to learn about the history of their home.
The Hernando News began in 1886, published by Fred L. Robertson. They were a regular weekly newspaper. The Watchman was their predecessor. The Brooksville Register succeeded The Hernando News followed by The Brooksville News Register. These are some of the earliest papers in Hernando County.
The Brooksville Star began publication in 1888. Editor JC (John Cabell) Burwell was an avid “autoist”. He is said to have owned the first car in Brooksville. In a photo taken in 1909, he posed with his daughter Sallie in his car while daughters Elizabeth and Grace stood on the porch of their Brooksville home on Olive Street. Interestingly, he also had a pineapple garden and developed the irrigation system himself. In the early 20th century, Mr. Burwell’s name is seen throughout area newspapers in articles like the Evening Independent’s “Tampa and St. Petersburg United by Automobiles.” Burwell took part in “the good roads movement” in which fellow autoists drove in (motorists?) processions to various locations in order to record times and link nearby cities.
At least seven other newspapers served the Hernando County area in the 20th century:
Southern Argus 1902 to 1924 published weekly
Brooksville Herald 1926 to 1930 published weekly by the Herald Publishing Co.
Brooksville Journal 1928 to 1959 published weekly by father and son E.R. and Wallace Russell
Brooksville Sun 1932 to 1959 published weekly by Victor J. Lord
Brooksville Sun-Journal 1960 to 1976 published weekly
Daily Sun Journal 1979 to 1992 published by Roy H. Park
Hernando Today 1988 to 2014
In Unlocking History: The Hernando County Digital Newspaper Project, the authors effectively capture slices of some of these newspapers and their cumulative importance to the community.
“The Brooksville Sun-Journal… for example, includes minutes of the County Commission and regular sections on local high school activities. In response to the Watergate Affair, the paper included patriotic images and the U.S. Constitution in a number of issues. Klan rallies are covered in the 1920s, and later a column in 1975 notes with objectivity and sobriety that the Klan is rising again. The impact of the Great Depression and World War II are reflected in the pages of the Brooksville Journal, and the county’s transformation for a predominantly agricultural community in the 30’s to a haven for retirees is well documented in the Sun-Journal, and later in the Daily Sun-Journal. The newspapers demonstrate the striking contrasts between ‘then and now,’ from clothing styles and food prices to attitudes about race and the impact of war on a community…”
The lifecycle of a newspaper is interesting to follow as well as the milestones in between its birth and death. The Brooksville Sun-Journal was born with the merging of two local papers in 1959. Almon Brooks Wilder and wife Eloise Wilder bought the Brooksville Sun as well as another weekly newspaper, the Brooksville Journal. The couple merged the two newspapers, creating the Brooksville Sun-Journal.
It is noted that Victor Lord, publisher of the Brooksville Sun planned to do “a little loafing and fishing” following retirement, after the Wilders purchased the paper.
Almon Wilder’s father Charles was one of the original owners of Weeki Wachee Springs, so when the couple began the Brooksville Sun-Journal, they did have some familiarity with the community. Charles Wilder was an owner of the springs prior to land deals resulting in ownership by the City of St. Petersburg. Almon Wilder also operated a hotel at Pass-a-Grille Beach on the Suncoast at the age of 16. Almon and Eloise Wilder came from Arkansas and owned a ranch in the Ozarks prior to moving down to Florida.
Unfortunately Almon Wilder passed away in December of 1961 at the age of 59. Eloise Wilder took over as editor and publisher for a short time until she sold the paper to the Withlacoochee Publishing Company and the Bennett-Hahn Company in 1962. Senator James E. Connor and A.G. Lou Mazourek of Masaryktown were “associated in the company” that purchased the Sun-Journal, according to the St. Petersburg Times. The two men intended to expand the coverage of the Sun-Journal to countywide, not only Brooksville.
Lou Mazourek was well known as the owner of one the largest egg producing farms in Florida. He served on the Florida Egg Commission and organized the Masaryktown egg producers cooperative.
At the time of Eloise Wilder’s retirement, she intended to stay in Brooksville and teach music as she was an accomplished musician and president of the Brooksville Music Club.
Phil Bennett became the editor of the Sun-Journal, after it was sold to the Withlacoochee Publishing Company and the Bennett-Hahn Company. He was a former owner and editor of the Citrus Chronicle. The new owners operated the Sun-Journal until 1979 as a daily paper Tuesday through Saturday. In 1979 Roy H. Park began publication of the Daily Sun Journal, also Tuesday through Saturday, which printed until 1991.
The Hernando Today had some overlap with the Sun-Journal, beginning as a free green sheet in November of 1987. They began printing a semi-weekly newspaper in April of 1988. Duane Chichester served as publisher for 21 years, retiring in 2013 after a total of 32 years with the paper. The Tampa Tribune took over business operations following Chichester’s retirement, until they closed in November of 2014.
Hernando has a long tradition of local newspapers and the Hernando Sun is honored to be able to continue that tradition. The Hernando Sun began printing monthly in March 2015. This issue marks the start of our first weekly edition. We look forward to serving the area in the years ahead.
