Courier building for sale
THE COURIER

Published Thursday, April 24, 2008

The building that houses The Courier, at 601 Pulaski St. on the downtown Lincoln square, is for sale.

“This size building is excessive to our needs currently and in our future,” said publisher Tom Tillman, who added that the newspaper itself will continue to publish Lincoln’s only daily newspaper.

“The Courier has not always been located at its current residence, so this is just another relocation in its 150-plus years of doing business locally,” said Tillman.

“We are, of course, staying in Lincoln and looking at sites that will be a better fit going forward.”

Since being constructed, the building has been home to four different businesses. The Courier has occupied the structure at the corner of McLean and Pulaski streets since 1939.

The structure, built in the commercial Italianate architectural style, contains more than 15,000 square feet. The property includes 30 parking spaces.

New York-based GateHouse Media, which purchased the newspaper and building last year, ceased printing the publication at The Courier last July 30.

The property is listed with Lincoln Area Realty.

Our Courier Roots

On February 1, 1856, the Lincoln Herald was established. The newspaper has remained a permanent factor in Logan County, continuing today as The Courier, a Gatehouse Media publication.

The founders of this publication, James D. Moudy and George W. Fuller, came to the new community of Lincoln, the county seat, and considered it a fruitful field for a weekly newspaper. They procured an office from Erastus Wright, near the corner of Fifth and Logan streets, where they set up their plant and got out their first issue.

After conducting the paper about four weeks, they found themselves out of funds and disposed of the office and fixtures to Joseph Reed and E.S. Austin. Reed and Austin conducted the paper under the name Illinois Citizen, until May 1, 1856, when Austin retired from the management and Reed became sole proprietor.

John C. Fremont was nominated for president of the United States in the summer of 1856, and the paper’s name was changed to the Fremont Herald. After Fremont’s defeat that fall, “Fremont” was dropped from the heading and the newspaper again became the Lincoln Herald.

Shortly after the establishment of the Lincoln Herald in 1856, the Logan County Democrat was established. A stock company, it was managed by Simmons & Beasly until 1864, when it was sold to Samuel Johnson. He changed the name to the Logan County Courier.

In 1865 or 1866, J. C. Webster, who owned of the Lincoln Herald bought and discontinued the Courier.

The Daily News was founded about 1878, and in 1902, the Lincoln Herald combined with the News to become the News-Herald. About 1879, the Lincoln Times was founded. In 1889, another Courier was founded, which later became the Daily Courier, then in 1914, the Morning Courier, edited by Walter Niebuhr.

Around 1915, several newspapers combined to form the Lincoln Courier Herald, which was purchased by Carpenter and Co. in 1918.

Following the death of Willard E. Carpenter, his widow Allyne V. Carpenter became publisher. When she and John L. Nugent were married, the couple became co-publishers.

The Volksblatt and Rundschau were founded in the late 1800s, and became the Popular Review around 1896. The Lincoln Daily Evening Star was founded in 1911, and absorbed the Popular Review.

In 1921, the Lincoln Courier Herald became the Lincoln Evening Courier. In 1927, the Lincoln Evening Courier purchased the Star, and Lincoln became a one-newspaper town.

The paper and several predecessors were headquartered in the former Knights of Columbus building at 117 N. Kickapoo St. for many years. In 1923, the paper moved into the first floor and basement of the I.O.O.F. Building at 112 S. McLean St.

In the fall of 1939, the publishing company moved into the newly remodeled headquarters at the corner of McLean and Pulaski streets, where it is published today. Allyne Nugent was instrumental in the design and layout of the building. Some of the fixtures and wood were from the Lincoln National Bank, which had been closed.

The Courier Crest over the entrance door of the newspaper is of composite selection because of the significance of each unit. The tower represents fortified and lasting protection. The mailed fist represents the human might to fight for what is right. The arrow represents enlightened and unswerving purpose.

It was chosen and adopted as a symbol of the move from rented quarters to quarters of our own. It is an expression of our faith and trust in Lincoln as a community for home and business and the motto “Decrevimus” (“We have declared”) pledges all of us to live up to its significance.

The Lincoln Evening Courier became the Lincoln Daily Courier in 1956.

Kenneth Goodrich joined the paper in January 1945, and retired as managing editor 28 years later. William Martinie, who served as the Courier’s sports editor for 12 years, was named managing editor on Feb. 1, 1974.

The Centralia Sentinel purchased the Courier-Herald Company July 1, 1968. At that time the Logan County Publishing Company was formed and James L. Fetgatter was named publisher.

The Lincoln Courier was sold to Copley Press, Inc. in December 1985.

The Lincoln Shopper was founded Aug. 26, 1970, and was sold to The Courier in 1987. In 1992, the name of the newspaper was changed to The Courier. On April 11, 2007, The Courier was sold to Gatehouse Media.

Tom Tillman serves as publisher and Dan Tackett is managing editor.