1881

Historians credit 1881 as the beginning of "The Times" The Davis Brothers - Jim, F. Pierce, Tom and Ben of Hendersonville, N.C. moved to Asheville, N. C. where they learned the printing craft. Jim and F. Pierce Davis organized "The Times" (Republican Paper) and made their mark. In 1884, Jim Davis bought out his brother and sold "The Times" to a man by the name of "Kenyon". No other identification is available.

1901

"The Times" was purchased by Wiley Rector, one time Mayor of Hendersonville, who turned the paper into a Republican weekly with T. W. Valentine as editor. At the time, all newspapers in town were Democratic papers. The year 1901 was only 36 years away from the Civil War which, in Western North Carolina, Republicans were still Lincoln people and hated by Democrats who had suffered during Reconstruction.

1920

"The Times" sold to the Ewbank family. E. W. Ewbank hired his brother, John, as editor John Ewbank turned the Republican Times into a Democratic paper.

1924

In August 1924, the Ewbanks sold "The Times" to Leroy Sargent a Florida real estate developer/promoter. He was interested having his newspaper print only so called "good news" because his main interest was to sell property to aid the economy and himself. To give the paper prestige, John Temple Graves, famous New York editor, was hired. In less than a year of hype, their attempts failed and the Ewbanks regained ownership.

1925

The Ewbanks sold the "The Times" to James Toole Fain, Sr., editor and publisher of a newspaper in Spartanburg, S.C. James T. Fain, Sr. was a son of the "Old South" with strong opinions. J. T. Fain, Sr. brought with him from the Spartanburg newspaper two key employees that completed 40 years of service: J. B. Creech - composing room foreman William Burrell- press room foreman Carl Blythe - a local man, became head of the "Ad"Alley.

1926

Claude M. Ogle of Muncie, Indiana came south to invest in Fain's "The Times" and became its Managing Editor. "The Times" took the lead on the weekly news {daily afternoon edition}.

The History of "The News"

The Beginning of "The French Broad Hustler"

1890

M. I. Shipman of Brevard, N.C. opened the paper in Transylvania County. Shipman was an ardent Democrat and supporter of William Jennings Bryan, "The Great Commoner" who was the Democratic candidate for president. Since Jim Davis' "The Times" was Republican, M. I. Shipman moved the "Hustler" to Hendersonville, N.C. to better support the candidacy of Bryan.

1908

M. I. Shipman hired Noah Hollowell, who began his career in 1903 with "The Asheville Times", to run "The French Broad Hustler" in Hendersonville.

1913

Noah Hollowell teamed up with Gordon Arlington, to lease "The Hustler" from M.I. Shipman. Garlington operated "The Hustler" in Hendersonville.

1918

Gordon Garlington left "The Hustler" and joined one of the Knoxville, Tenn. Newspapers.

1919

Noah Hollowell purchased M.I. Shipman's interest in "The French Broad Hustler". The Hustler" name dropped. The "French Broad" part had been dropped earlier. Hollowell did not like the connotation, despite the fact that the words "French Broad" referred to the river and basin rather than a French shady lady.

The Beginning of "The Visitor"

"The Visitor" was owned by Charles B. Eaves, son-in- law of Jim Davis, owner of "The Times".

1918

Noah Hollowell purchased the paper from Charles Eaves Hollowell combined the "The Hustler" and "The Visitor" under the same ownership and management that was known as "The News".

The Newspaper Wars of the 1920's

"The Times" and "The News"

The great newspaper war only lasted two years. Both Publishers J. T. Fain, Sr. and Noah Hollowell learned competing newspapers do not make money when in the same market.

1926

The great Florida hurricane wiped out the Florida real estate market that had fueled Hendersonville's boom. It turned the local boom into a debacle before the stock market crash of 1929.

1927

Both papers were near collapse. "The Times" struggled as a daily and "The News" returned to a weekly with a new winter schedule. J. T. Fain, Sr. and Claude M. Ogle of The Times" met with Noah Hollowell and offered to buy his paper consolidating it into the "The Times-News" an afternoon daily serving the "Southern Highlands of the Blue Ridge". The merger took place February 1, 1927.

1929

Claude Ogle would gain majority control of the paper in a successful effort to save it.

1958

Mead Parce became Managing Editor and the paper's design changed.

1964

Claude Ogle would publish the paper until selling his interest to Lawson M. Braswell a publisher from Tennessee.

1967

The paper changed again when cold-type process replaced the hot type. During this time, the paper moved from 6th Avenue (old police dept) to 4 Seasons Blvd.

1972

Jimmy Fain (son of J.T.) retired as Editor and Mead Parce is named Editor.

1973

Larry Corn was the last Editor.

1974

The Times-News is sold to the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group as one of a number of papers owned by The New York Times Company.

This outline prepared by Becky Poole June 24, 2010 from article by Mead Parce