” … in 1920, the Spy was bought and merged into the Columbia News, which has its office on the south side of Locust Street, between Third and Fourth streets.”

While conducting some research, we happened onto this history of the Columbia newspaper from the latter part of the 19th century … The Columbia Spy.

“In the early days of newspapers, Marietta was a hearty rival to Columbia, and also had its weekly newspaper. The Marietta Pilot was published as early as November, 1813, by John Huss, a soldier of the war of 1812. The earliest copy of the Pilot the writer has seen was one of the year 1816 in the files of the Lancaster County Historical Society. In Columbia, at this period The Susquehanna Waterman was published by Thomas Armor Wilson, as early as 1812. The only copy which the writer has seen was dated in 1816, and belongs to Mr. J. Jay Wisler, Columbia historian. This copy of the Waterman was used to line the inside of an old wooden Chinese tea chest, but is in a fair state of preservation.

“The first number of a monthly magazine entitled, “The Visitor, a Repository of  Miscellaneous and Literary Productions original and selected” was dated Thursday, May 27, 1819; published at Marietta, Pa., by William Pierce on Market street. The Marietta Pioneer which followed this magazine, was a small weekly paper of four pages, established in 1825, by John, Huss who previously had issued the Pilot. A copy of the Pioneer, dated June 6, 1828, seen by the writer, shows it to have been published by A. B. and R. K. Grosh, at the southwest corner of Market Square, in Marietta. Later in 1828, John A. Sheaff and Charles H. Heinitsh of Columbia, bought the Marietta Pioneer plant, and removed the old hand press and type to Columbia. They set up The Columbia Courier and Marietta Advertiser,  catering to people of both boroughs. This was in size and makeup, a counter part of the Pioneer.

“Sheaff and Heinitsh ran the Courier for about eighteen months. Between June 5, 1830, and June 17, 1830, they sold the Courier to a young man named John L. Boswell, who had but lately come from Connecticut to Lancaster County. And he it was who started out of the Courier, The Columbia Spy and Literary Register. The writer examined a copy of the Courier, dated June 5, 1830, and has in his possession the first number of the Spy, dated June 17, 1830; so that Mr. Boswell purchased the Courier sometime within these twelve days. Anti-slavery sentiment was strong in Columbia, which was suspected of being a station on the “underground railroad,” hence the word “Spy” in the title.

Read the original article here.