The Messenger-Inquirer is a local newspaper in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Messenger-Inquirer serves 15,087 daily and 20,383 Sunday readers in five counties in western Kentucky.[2]
History
The newspaper's roots trace back to 1875, when Lee Lumpkin founded The Examiner. [3]
The newspaper's name was later changed to the Messenger. The Messenger was purchased by the Hager family, owners of the competing Owensboro Inquirer, in 1929.[3]
By 1864, when Thomas S. Pettit purchased the paper, it had changed its name to The Monitor.[4] Immediately after taking control of the paper, Pettit published a series of items vigorously criticizing the Republican Party and its policies during the Civil War.[5] On November 17, 1864, Pettit was arrested on orders from General Stephen G. Burbridge on charges of being "notoriously disloyal" to the Union.[5] He was taken to Memphis, Tennessee, and transferred into Confederate territory.[4]
In May 1865, he returned to Owensboro and found his print shop and printing press had been destroyed by federal authorities.[4] He traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio to purchase replacement equipment and, on hearing the story of his arrest and subsequent travels, the equipment dealer extended him a generous line of credit, allowing him to purchase more sophisticated equipment than had ever before been used in Owensboro.[4] With this new equipment, Pettit revived the Monitor and published his stories of wartime banishment, bringing him significant acclaim in Kentucky.[5] Moreover, he also published editorials by future U.S. SenatorThomas C. McCreery, giving the Monitor further credibility and increasing its readership.[4][6]