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The Nebraska Signal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Nebraska Signal
TypeWeekly newspaper
Owner(s)Tim Curran
Founded1881
Headquarters131 N 9th Geneva, NE
Circulation1,886[1]
Websitethenebraskasignal.com

The Nebraska Signal is an American weekly newspaper serving Geneva, Nebraska and surrounding Fillmore County, published on Wednesdays.[2]

History

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Founded in Fairmont, Nebraska 1881,[3][4] by J. B. Brazelton and William Putney,[5] the Signal quickly built a reputation as one of the strongest and most widely circulated weeklies in the state.[5][6][7][8] Putney, formerly of the Lincoln Globe,[5] saw success as editor, and by 1886 the paper was upgrading its printing press to a new Potter unit.[6] Later that year, Putney died suddenly, at the age of 41.[5]

Frank O. Edgecombe in 1925

In the late 1890s, Frank Edgecombe, a former banker, purchased the Signal and three other Fillmore County publications, consolidating them under the Signal name and moving operations to Geneva.[9] Edgecombe had been the editor and publisher of the Falls City Journal in 1892 when a hunting accident rendered him completely blind.[10] Undeterred by the accident, he developed a system of dictation to a hired stenographer that allowed him to continue to as editor.[10] The success of the Journal allowed him to expand operations and consolidate under the Geneva Signal name. The resulting paper became the most widely circulated of any country paper in the state.[9]

The Signal has remained a family affair, with the fifth generation of Edgecombes taking over the paper in May 2018.[11] It is the oldest continuous business in Fillmore County.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Nebraska Newspaper Locator Map | Nebraska Press Association". 2012-11-21. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  2. ^ "Nebraska Signal". Mondo Times. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  3. ^ "About The Nebraska signal". Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  4. ^ Sedgwick, Theron E. (1921). York County, Nebraska and Its People: Together with a Condensed History of the State. S.J. Clarke. p. 252. Signal.
  5. ^ a b c d "The Editor of the Nebraska Signal Is Dead". The Nebraska State Journal. 11 November 1886. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Topic of the Times". The Nebraska State Journal. 28 August 1886. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Untitled Item". Lincoln Journal Star. 11 November 1886. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Fairmont". The Nebraska State Journal. 3 December 1884. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Men Behind the Handpress". Omaha Daily Bee. 22 January 1901. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  10. ^ a b Bingham, Doris (18 September 2000). "Blind editor created award-winning Geneva newspaper". York News-Times.
  11. ^ a b Scellin, Greg (5 May 2018). "5th generation takes over Nebraska community newspaper". Nebraska Signal.