Arkham Gazette - 350 W Hyde Street
Arkham’s first newspaper, the Gazette was established in 1806 by Aaron Crane, its first editor and publisher. It began daily publication in 1894; before then it was a fat weekly. It is still owned by the Crane family; Michael Crane, 62 years old, is managing editor, though he does little more these days than read the mail and curse his rival publisher, Harvey Gedney.
The Gazette is published at 3 A.M. six mornings a week; Sunday papers are run Saturday afternoon at 2 P.M. and distributed that evening. Though it has happened five times since 1900, it takes a big event for a Gazette special edition. Issues currently cost 4 cents, since it’s a bigger paper than the Advertiser, publishing about 20% more text daily than its Arkham rival. Sunday issues cost 7 cents.
Of the two Arkham newspapers, the Gazette is the more conservative, featuring town and valley news to the virtual exclusion of international events. It is especially notable for its large number of county correspondents who report family visits and other crossroads events. It has never missed an edition in 122 years of publishing. Crane has been more protective of area businessmen, notables, and old families, and they have reward his concern with larger display ads and longer subscriptions.
Stored in the basement is a complete collection of Gazettes—at the keeper’s option, a small portion might be missing. This collection is priceless, since no other exists. Beginning in the 1880s, issues were printed on acid processed paper, and these later years have become more fragile. Access to these archives is grudging.
Gazette office hours are 8 A.M.–5 P.M., Monday-Friday, and 8 A.M.–Noon on Saturday.
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