The Review's History
What keeps
a small-town weekly newspaper like The Review going for 114 years?
During its 114-year history, The Review, like any weekly newspaper, has had its share of ups and downs. There were moments of glory such as when a fearless Review publisher went to the wall to defend what he had written, refusing to refute the truth even when locked up in nearby L'Orignal Jail. There were also moments of shame, such as the week in 1907 when it was reported in The Review that,
"during the recent absence from the office of the proprietor things ran amuck.
Everything was turned upside down. Some of the young men in charge were turning the office into a barroom and enjoying themselves. Their work was neglected and the office allowed to run itself. The presses were abused and no man could make them work properly without repairs."
And The Review's history of relating both the good and bad,
even about ourselves, is what newspaper work is all about.
Here is a brief
history of The Review.
Founded by Samuel I. Jones, the first issue of The Eastern Ontario
Review and the County of Prescott General Advertiser
was published on December 15, 1893. Jones had emigrated to Canada
at the age of 23. From working at the Toronto Globe, he moved
to Dundas and became proprietor and editor of The Warder.
Leaving Dundas, he represented the Globe in Hamilton, and
from there he moved to Ottawa where he established The Evening
Post.
Some time after, he was appointed to take charge of the reading room
of the Senate, a position he held for about 10 years when he had to
resign on account of ill health. Leaving Ottawa, he took up residence
in Buckingham where he founded a small paper known as The Advertiser.
In October of 1893 he moved to Vankleek Hill to establish The
Eastern Ontario Review. Jones also operated a book store and
a printing business. Within a few weeks, the newspaper became known
as Eastern Ontario Review and Ottawa Valley General Advertiser.
In May 1894, Jones became stricken with paralysis and his wife soon
placed an advertisement offering the newspaper and printing business
for sale.
In September 1894, Mrs. Jones, now widowed, sold the paper to L. W.
Shannon, who operated the paper for four years. Shannon sold the paper
to Mr. H. Carl Jones, who left his post as city editor of the Evening
Journal, Ottawa, to take over The Review. The Review
continued to grow and prosper under Mr. Jones. On September 9, 1899,
the paper became known simply as the Eastern Ontario Review.
Despite growth and modernization
of equipment, all did not always run smoothly. In the January 18,
1907 issue, the editor published a notice under the heading: "Our
Own Troubles", in which he apologized for the shameful appearance
of The Review during the past few weeks. The proprietor,
having been away, was finally able to get out to the plant and was
shocked at the state of things. Three of the staff were ordered out
of the office and paid off. Two experts had to be called in to repair
presses that had fallen into disrepair while the owner was off sick.
On July 20, 1920, W. J. Duncan bought the Eastern Ontario Review from
H. Carl Jones. The Review moved from 20 Main Street to its present
location at 41 High Street.
In 1929, W. J. Duncan sold the newspaper to one of his employees,
Andrew Boyer, who had been working for Duncan for the past 17 years.
Boyer changed the publication date from Friday to Thursday. Boyer
would remain owner of the Eastern Ontario Review for 45 years.
Boyer was active in the community, serving as Reeve and councillor
of the Town of Vankleek Hill for 29 years. He served a rare three
terms as Warden of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell.
In 1974, Andrew's two sons,
Jean Paul and Bernard, purchased the newspaper from their father.
Jean Paul was in charge of commercial printing and worked in the Review
office, while Bernard went on the road to sell advertising. When the
newspaper began to move from hot lead to offset production methods,
a darkroom was constructed and Bernard learned to develop black and
white film and performed all darkroom duties.
Up until 1974, The Review had always been printed at The
Review office. But the change to offset printing opened up a
lot of possibilities: for a time, the newspaper was printed at The
Winchester Press until the early 1980s. For a time, the newspaper
was printed in Hull, Quebec, but was soon being printed at Imprimerie
Prescott-Russell Printing in Hawkesbury. The newspaper is still printed
there today. During the Boyers' tenure, the paper's name became simply,
The Review.
In 1992, when the paper
was sold again, it would bring to an end the Boyer family's 63 years
of continuous ownership of the paper.
In 1992, Louise Sproule bought The Review from Jean Paul and Thérèse
Boyer, who had become sole owners of the paper in 1982, Bernard moving
on to another career. Sproule had worked at The Review about
20 years earlier as a high school student. Working after school
at the newspaper/print shop, she did proof-reading and worked at all
the tasks involved in putting out a weekly newspaper. After high school,
Sproule worked at The Review full-time, adding the bookkeeper's
job and answering the telephone to her duties. Back then, callers
would ask for the man in charge. Sproule left The Review to attend
university, but the printer's ink stayed in her veins and in 1992,
Sproule bought the paper in time to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
In September of 2004, The Review relocated to new premises at 76 Main Street East in Vankleek Hill. Formerly the Beckers building, the two-storey building, abandoned for almost two years, now houses The Review offices on the ground floor and has a two-bedroom residential apartment on the second storey.
 |
||
| 76 Main St. E., P.O. Box
160, Vankleek Hill, Ontario K0B 1R0 |
Tel.: (613)
678-3327 Toll Free: 1-877-678-3327 Fax: (613) 678-2700 |
Contact Us: review@thereview.on.ca |