Hot off the Press

Experience out state’s passion for the printed page throughout history.

By: Helen Headrick, Doug Crew, and Brian Brooks

Few states have newspaper histories that rival Missouri’s. Its history began on July 12, 1808, when Joseph Charless pulled the first issue of the Missouri Gazette from his Ramage press. It was the first newspaper published west of the Mississippi River. The Missouri Gazette, published in St. Louis, later became the Missouri Republican. Since then, a rich newspaper history has emerged and will continue to evolve into the future. It’s a Missouri point of pride that every one of our 114 counties still has a newspaper, and we have the world’s oldest School of Journalism, as well as the publisher who gave us the Pulitzer Prize.

Missouri Life, in partnership with the Missouri Press Foundation, created the Missouri Newspaper Heritage Trail guide to explain this significant history by highlighting towns throughout Missouri and the key figures who lived there. Here are three shortened samples from the publication. Learn how to get the free guide at the end of this article.

Salute to the Stars and Stripes

Bloomfield might seem like a quiet town today, but during the tumultuous years of the Civil War, it was anything but. Nestled in southeast Missouri’s Stoddard County, Bloomfield holds a treasure trove of history.

The most notable contribution of Bloomfield to American history is it being the birthplace of Stars and Stripes, a newspaper for military personnel that began there in November 1861 amid the strife of war.

The Stars and Stripes National Museum and Library in Bloomfield stands as a beacon of historic preservation. Here, visitors can see an original edition of the first Stars and Stripes, a publication that still serves US troops today. The museum not only tells the story of this iconic newspaper’s inception by Union troops under the command of then-Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant but also serves as a custodian of its legacy. Four other publications titled Stars and Stripes were printed during the war—two in Thibodaux, Louisiana, and two in Jacksonport, Arkansas. But because Missouri’s single issue was the first published, the US Department of Defense designated Bloomfield as the birthplace of Stars and Stripes.

Stars and Stripes made its next appearance during World War I. General John J. Pershing, a Missouri native, wanted to reinitiate this newspaper written by servicemen to boost the morale of American Expeditionary Force in Europe. Seventy-one eight-page weekly editions were published between soldiers in the February 8, 1918, and June 13, 1919.

Stars and Stripes began publication once again as a daily newspaper during World War II. After General Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered its restart in London, it appeared in as many as 25 locations in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. A Pacific edition was started in 1945, and Stars and Stripes has been published worldwide ever since. It goes wherever American troops go, and an electronic version even reaches ships at sea.

Visitors to Bloomfield can pick up a brochure to embark on a journey through time, exploring the 23 stops of a driving tour meticulously curated to showcase the significant Civil War events that took place in and around the town.

The Civil War driving tour in Bloomfield is an immersive experience. It includes locations such as the site where Union Brigadier General John Wynn Davidson held his troops while waiting for updates on the Confederate forces, the location of an infamous mutiny, and the very place where the first edition of the Stars and Stripes was printed. The tour doesn’t shy away from darker historic chapters either; it includes the execution site of Asa V. Ladd, who refused to take an oath of loyalty to the Union, and the tragic death of Union Captain Tom Walker, who openly challenged Confederate soldiers by saying, “You tell those men in town that if they want me, to come after me. My name is Tom Walker.”

Visitors can explore historic landmarks like the Bloomfield Academy, which played a part during the war, and learn about the Civil War hospitals that cared for the wounded. The Fatal Tree, a grim reminder of wartime justice, and the Civil War Cemetery, where both Union and Confederate soldiers rest, serve as poignant reminders of the divided nation’s painful past.

Bloomfield’s significance during the Civil War cannot be overstated. The tour provides an educational experience for those seeking to understand the complexities of the era. The Stars and Stripes National Museum and Library, along with the historical Civil War tour, offer invaluable insights into our nation’s past, ensuring that the legacy of those times educates and inspires future generations. As we visit these sites, we do more than recall history; we pay homage to those who lived it.

Find the German in Hermann

The Philadelphia German Settlement Society sent a group in 1837 to find agricultural sites in Missouri for German immigrants. Their report prompted a visit to the area by land agent George Bayer who selected a site on the Missouri River. The resulting town was named Hermann, and even today the German influence is evident in river towns from St. Louis westward to Hermann and beyond.

One family of immigrants came with a vision and plan and the resources to implement it. The Eduard Mühl family, along with brother-in-law Karl Strehly, traveled from Germany with a printing press and in 1843 founded the first newspaper in Hermann. They named their newspaper Licht-Freund, or Friend of Light, but published it under that name for only two years.

In 1845, Mühl and Strehly began publishing the Hermanner Wochenblatt, or Hermann Weekly. Mühl was a firebrand and used the newspaper as his pulpit. He railed against slavery, promoted the growing of grapes to produce quality wines, and was adamant that area schools should teach in German as well as English to help preserve their culture.

Mühl died in 1854 of cholera, and the newspaper was sold to Jacob Graf, who renamed the four-page weekly the Hermanner Volksblatt, or the Hermann People’s Paper.

This paper changed names and owners frequently, first going to Graf’s widow, who sold it and then bought it back. And the name was changed to Hermanner Volksblatt und Gasconade Zeitung, then back to Hermanner Volksblatt.

The Hermanner Volksblatt survived World War I, one of the few German newspapers in the United States that did. Editorials and articles were written with a pro-American slant, and the newspaper contributed news space to government organizations leading the war effort. The Hermanner Volksblatt ceased publication in 1928, proudly publishing in German until the end.

There is plenty to see in Hermann, the heart of Missouri’s wine country. The Adam Puchta Winery, about 2.5 miles southwest of town, is the oldest family winery in Missouri. The same family has owned it since 1855, and it’s just one of seven wineries along the Hermann Wine Trail.

The Hermann Farm, on the outskirts of town, is dedicated to showcasing the history of the town, the beauty of the area, and the importance of agriculture. Barns, historic homes, animals, and tours await visitors’ enjoyment. The Deutschheim State Historic Site, located downtown, highlights German-American history and early Missouri settlement and features old newspaper presses visitors can see. Stroll through the restored 1840s and 1850s buildings and explore how German Americans settled into the Hermann area and developed the Missouri wine industry. Every weekend in October the town celebrates Oktoberfest, a harvest-time festival honoring its German heritage with food, beer, wine, and music. Also worth a visit is the Historic Hermann Museum, which traces the Germanic history of the city.

Visit a Nest of Newspaper History

Set on a bluff that once overlooked the Missouri River, Arrow Rock was named for the flint that Native Americans took from the bluff to make arrowheads. Explorers Lewis and Clark noted the bluff on their journey in the early 1800s, a prominent landmark for many travelers passing westward on the Santa Fe Trail.

The Missouri Press Association, with former executive director William A. Bray in the lead, along with the help of many Missouri newspaper publishers who donated equipment, established the Missouri Press Association Print Shop Museum on Main Street in Arrow Rock during the mid-1960s. They chose Arrow Rock as the location of the museum because of the town’s historical character and the specific building it is housed in because it had been a former newspaper office.

In the 1960s, the “cold type” method of offset printing replaced “hot metal” letterpress printing equipment, so it was an ideal time for Missouri newspaper publishers to donate old equipment to the museum.

The museum includes a collection of printing presses and letterpress equipment that may be unmatched. One of the museum’s pieces, a St. Louis Washington hand press with a serial number of 241, is the oldest of its kind recorded in the North American Hand Press Database. The press is about 150 years old.

Also on display in the museum is a variety of letterpress printing equipment, including a Linotype, a newspaper flatbed press, job presses, Washington hand presses, hand-set type, and other tools of the printing trade.

A desk belonging to Country Editor H.J. “Jack” Blanton of the Monroe County Appeal in Paris, Missouri, is in the museum. Blanton and his newspaper are known for being depicted in Norman Rockwell’s famous wartime painting, Norman Rockwell Visits a Country Editor.

The first floor of the historic brick Odd Fellows Lodge building, owned by the Friends of Arrow Rock, is modeled after the old Saline County Herald newspaper office. The Herald was founded in 1856 in Marshall, moved to Arrow Rock in 1858, and published until 1861.

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Drop by the Missouri Press Association at 802 Locust Street, Columbia, or Missouri Life Mercantile at 208 Columbia Street, Rocheport, to pick up a free copy. To order the guide, free except for shipping, visit MissouriLife.com/shop.

This article was originally published in the September 2025 issue of Missouri Life.