Newspapers_proof2 Before the Town of Cobourg was incorporated in 1837, the community already had a voice. On January 11, 1831 the first issue of the Cobourg Star and Newcastle Commercial and General Advertiser appeared, Cobourg being part of the District of Newcastle. While records are poor from this time period, the Cobourg Star is thought to be the first paper for this community. Nearby Port Hope's first newspaper, the Evening Guide, also appeared in 1831. Founding Cobourg Star publisher Richard Dover Chatterton was one of the earliest settlers in Cobourg, and one of our local inventors. He had apprenticed in the publishing industry in England and set a lofty goal for his newspaper from the beginning. In the conduct of this paper neither expense nor exertion will be spared to make it a source of usefulness and prosperity to the district and entitle it to be an esteemed friend and welcome guest at every fireside. Chatterton produced just 500 copies of the paper on his small, hand-fed Washington press (similar to the Gutenberg) , often made from modified wine-presses. The type was set by hand, one letter at a time or with larger engraved blocks with images. To set a column by hand took a full day! Unlike community newspapers today, it wasn't uncommon for papers in those days to be delivered across a wide region. In its early days the Cobourg Star reached the communities of Belleville, Port Hope, Whitby, Colborne, Haldimand, Peterborough, Otonabee, and as far away as Ancaster and Guelph. During the 1800s the name of the newspaper changed several times including being called the Cobourg Star and Newcastle District Gazette. In 1850 Henry Ruttan, also an inventor, and his partner, E.C. Clench (son of the well-known local furniture maker) bought the Star. Design provided by Quench Design & Communications Inc., Port Hope. www.quenchme.ca THE NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY Design & layout by Quench Design & Communications Inc. | Port Hope | www.quenchme.ca Board of Police publicize new bylaw regulating the sale of bread Reward offered for a lost overcoat.. Elizabeth Johnston, a 14-year-old girl missing after she boarded a train from Montreal on her way to see her brother in Newcastle, never showed up... THE STAR SHONE FIRST SOME STORIES FROM THE COBOURG STAR & NEWCASTLE DISTRICT GAZETTE Believed to be Cobourg's first newspaper office