The Herald/Citizen has been a part of the Culver community for more than half its life; at its best it was a leader in the town's affairs and even at its worst it held us together by providing something for us to complain about. What more could we ask? - John Houghton

On the 13th of July, 1894, appeared the first issue, Vol. I, No. 1, of the "Marmont Herald," George Nearpass, editor and publisher.

DAVE Smith tells the story of the coming of the first editor, and beyond a doubt he was the first of Marmont's citizens to meet and talk with the man who had the idea or "bunch" that Marmont finally was ripe for a newspaper. Dave, then a comparatively young man (it was over forty years ago), was walking along the Hibbard road when he met a man coming toward Marmont. The man, who was a stranger to Dave, was afoot. He said he was going to look the town over with the idea of starting a, newspaper. No doubt he had come in on the Nickel Plate. The stranger proved to be GEORGE NEARPASS.

That evening, at the customary friendly gathering of the men in the village (all were sociable in those days, and every one was acquainted), NEARPASS told of his plans. And he decided to stay. So he set up his press, and, the "Marmont Herald" was started.

Union 'Township's first newspaper was begun in restricted space', in a small one-story frame building, located oft the west side of Main Street between Jefferson and Madison streets. The property is now owned by Harvey Warner, who has another building on the site. The building used by Nearpass was an old photograph gallery, which at one time stood somewhere nearly west of the present "66" gas station on Lake Shore Drive. The building was moved by John Osborn, the banker who financed Nearpass, to the location south of the present MITCHELL & STABENOW store. The NEARPASS newspaper building stood long side, or "broadside," to the street, because it had been so built to accommodate the photograph gallery. Later, after the newspaper had used it, the building was moved again, to a location back of the present tin shop.

It was there, in the building on the WARNER location, that GEORGE NEARPASS set up his humble hand-press and began the publishing of his weekly newspaper, with little in the way of equipment to help him on his journalistic way.

It has been said that GEORGE NEARPASS got out his first newspaper in Marmont "in a fence corner," contrary to which ARTHUR MORRIS declares, "No, that is not exactly the truth. I was in the shop when the first edition was run off the hand-press, and it was done under shelter, not in the open." "In a fence corner'' may have been one way of expressing it--merely as a form of speech, not literal, but picturing the crudeness of the beginning of what later--and soon--proved to be a going concern. Hence the fence corner can be put down as a bit of romancing, which it is difficult far the chronicler to forego or pass by without recognition.

ARTHUR MORRIS was there when the first edition was in the making, and he retained a copy of that epochal news-sheet. He thinks his copy was the third off the hand-press. He adds that the building in which Nearpass had his shop was a low, flat, one-story affair, broadside to the street, extending from where Hawkins now is, almost to the cement block building. It was a thin sort of building, that newspaper emporium, perhaps only about twelve feet wide.

NEARPASS edited and published the "Marmont Herald" and the "Culver City Herald" for about ten years. Prior to that period of his newspaper career he had conducted the "Hobart Gazette." The "Marmont Herald" became the "Culver City Herald" when the name of the village was changed.

A Son's Recollections
GEORGE E. NEARPASS, son of the editor and publisher, gives us some interesting data. He writes: "I take from GEORGE P. ROWELL & Sons American Newspaper Directory published in 1895, the following listed therein:

"MARMONT--Marshall Co. pop. 374, on the Terre Haute and Indianapolis R. R., about 34 miles north of Logansport. Agriculture.

"Newspaper - Herald - published Fridays; eight pages 13 x 20. Subscription $1.00 per year, established 1894 by GEO. E. NEARPASS, Sr., Editor and Publisher. Independent."

Nearpass did not associate the paper with any particular political party, and in fact politics rarely influenced the paper’s content.

Culver City Herald
In 1895/1896 Nearpass changed the name of the publication to the Culver City Herald after the town’s name was changed to Culver City. Copy boys were George nearpas III and Harry Medbourn. Subscription rates were one dollar per year. Nearpass often reminded those who had not yet paid for their subscriptiosn that he could use a load of firewood or a sack of potatoes in lieu of the money.

Nearpass was born on a Michigan farm to a Methodist preacher. He ran away at age nine, finding his way to Chicago where he became a newsboy and a boot black. Within four years he had gained a position as a printer’s devil on the Chicago Times. At age eighteen he became a stagehand and later an actor. A fencing accident in one of the performances left him without a left eye, forcing him to forego acting. He immediately went to Vermontville, Michigan, and started a paper, which he quickly sold. Throughout his life he continued a pattern of moving to a town, founding a newspaper, and then selling it only to move to yet another city and open another journal. Before moving to Marmont he had developed weeklies in five other cities, including the Hobart Gazette.

This is the ad for the Marmont Hearld in the Maxinkuckee Agriculture Fair Book of 1895:


The business under Nearpass was a family affair, as his son, George III,


George Nearpass III
and his daughter, Myrtle, helped their father run the presses.

In 1898 they published the Souvenir booklet of the Lake and area:


The "Culver City Herald" (1897-1900) had five columns and a 20-21-inch depth

After selling the venture to Koontz, Nearpass moved to Shipshewana, where he established the Sun. Nearpass retained control of the weekly for some time, selling to John Henry Koontz in 1903. This quip is found about Nearpass and the Sun:

George Nearpass, the founder of Culver's first paper, the Herald, has sold the Shipshewana Sun and has gone to Croton, Ohio, where he has started the Croton Citizen.
Rochester Sentinel, Friday, October 25, 1907

May 1903
In May 1903 Koontz changed the name of the paper to the Culver Citizen By 1905 Koontz could claim to have two thousand readers from around the county. Koontz was active in the life of the town, serving on its first town board and participating in several local lodges.
It started in 1903 with eight pages, and later dropped to four pages.

The issue of 7 May 1903 was the first issue under the editor ship of Koontz and his remarks where:

Introductory With this issue of THE CULVER CITIZEN, we enter the fielf of journalism, though it be with fear and trembling, yet we have an abiding faith in out abioity to publish a good representative newpaper and will use our best efforts to make each issue better that the proceeding one. Our experience in this line is limited byt we have employed the very best help obtainable and in this way we hope to do justice to ur patrons by giving them a paper in which they may have a justifiable pride. It will be our highest sense of duty to, at all times and under all circumstances for the improvement of CUlver, Lake Maxinkuckee and the territory tributary thereto. We purpose to publish a paper for all the people and will not force our political views upon our friends of opposite political faith, neither will we permit anthing to be published in this paper that will reflect upon the personal character of any one where we know that sipte and revenge are the motives.

Culver is one of the most enterprising villages in the state, surrounded by a prosperous farming community and skited on the east by Lake Maxinkuckee, than which there is no more beautiful body of water anywhere. A little at the north and east is the Culver Military Academy, the greatest institution of its kind in the United States, great in equipment, great in resources and best of all most through in its course on instruction. With all of these magnificent surroundings from which to draw inspirtation, we should be able to prepare a paper that will be of interest to our people. Time will tell. The retiring editor of the Culver City Herald has our best wishes. May he ever Prosper. - J. H. Koontz & Son.

Culver has a new newspaper, The Citizen, and the first number is a fine piece of journalism. It is published by J. H. Kootz & Son, and its artistic and newsy features entitles it to a very liberal patronage.
Rochester Sentinel, Tuesday, May 12, 1903

As time wore on, Marmont's newspaper and printery grew little by little until at length the expansion thereof demanded larger quarters. The thin building on Main Street became too thin, and a fatter building was sought. Finally, the narrow building was left behind, and the newspaper establishment occupied fairly broad quarters in a. building on East Washington Street.

It is there now, in doubly broad quarters, for it occupies the whole first floor.

One reads that the rooms above the Citizen office were rented. That was May 5, 1904. But, five rooms over the printing office were for rent, December 28, 1905. (Today the big press--a new and bigger one--is 'way down in the basement.)

Ar first the Citizen occupied only one-half of this building, but later expanded until all of the first floor and the basement were needed to house additional equipment.

Under Nearpass and Koontz the journal was issued every Friday and contained a good deal of national and international news. A “Home Gossip” page chronicled the activities of visitors to the small town, told who was moving out of town or into the community, or what new job a person might accept, as well as who came over for Sunday dinner. Nearpass constantly asked people to pay their delinquent subscriptions, sometimes in a column on page one. Koontz called his local summary of national and international news “From the Four Quarters of the Earth.”

1 April 1906

John Henry Koontz
From The History of Marshall County (1908) by Daniel McDonald pg. 303:

Culver City Herald. The first regular issue of a newspaper in Culver appeared in 1884, under the ownership of George Nearpass, who was also the editor and general manager. It was called the Culver City Herald. Mr. Nearpass continued its publication until May, 1903, when the plant was purchased by J. H. Koontz & Son, who changed the name of the paper to The Culver Citizen. In April, 1905, Arthur B. Holt, of Kankakee, Illinois, one of the publishers of the Daily and Semi-Weekly Gazette, bought the property, and is now conducting the paper on its former lines as a local, non-partisan weekly.

John Henry Koontz passed ownership on 1 April 1906 to Arthur B. Holt who became the publisher, remaining the proprietor until selling the journal in 1923. Holt was a native of Kankakee, Illinois, and had been one of the publishers of the daily and semi weekly Gazette in that community.

The Culver Citizen has been sold by Koontz & Son to Arthur B. Holt, formerly of Kankakee, Ill. Mr. Holt is an experienced newspaper man, and we welcome him to our midst.
Rochester Sentinel, Friday, April 13, 1906

He retained the paper’s nonpartisan character. Under Holt “Personal Pointers” replaced the “Home Gossip” column, but retained its interest in personal happenings. Mr. HOLT remained as editor through the years that saw Culver grow from a village to a town and the paper progressed accordingly. He had a distinct flare for writing with a personal touch that made his paper outstanding. He left the writing of high-powered editorials to the metropolitan papers, while he sought out the small, homely items that concerned the everyday life of his readers. His dry humor persistently cropped out in unexpected places. Holt also added a column on the activities at Culver Military Academy and a section entitled “The Week in Culver,” which concerned information on who had taken ill as well as who was moving into or out of town. He shortened the paper to four pages, but expanded the column space from five to six. His long reign in the editor's chair formed an important chapter in the local history of journalism

The "Citizen" was a 6-column paper until 1913, and 21-22-inch depth until a 16-page paper. It was changed January 11, 1922, to a 7-column paper, with four pages..

1 July 1923
On 1 July 1923 the paper was sold to Miles R. Robinson and F. C. Leitnaker. Robinson and Leitnaker had been roommates at a college in Kansas, and they were both World War I veterans. They had had experience an newspapers under the direction of others, but this was their first attempt at producing a paper with full control.

FIRST ISSUE The first Culver Citizen issued by the new firm of Robinson & Leitnaker, was off the press July 4. The paper has been increased to a seven column size and two more pages have been added.
Rochester Sentinel, Saturday, July 7, 1923

They immediately changed the paper back to an eight-page weekly, increased the price of a subscription from $1.00 per year to $1.50, and added more organization to the journal’s structure. Pictures and serials, along with excerpts from popular books, were added in the 1920s, and a society and local news page was added during their tenure. Visits, weddings, and other personal happenings continued to run in the paper, but they were not as extensive as before.

The Citizen enlarged under their energetic management and became a leader in community activities.

11 November 1926

Miles R. Robinson
Miles R. Robinson purchased Leitnaker’s share in the business in 1926, continuing as the sole proprietor until March 1949, thus began this he ownership for twenty-three years.

PAPER IS HONORED The Culver Citizen was judged the second best weekly newspaper in Indiana at a meeting of the Indiana Weekly Press Association in Indianapolis last week. The Corydon Republican was placed first only three points ahead of the Citizen.
News-Sentinel, Friday, February 24, 1933


In the 1930s the paper remained an eight-page weekly. A large cartoon with political overtones or social commentary appeared on page one. The society and local news column continued to reveal who was about to get married and other personal information. As the town grew, the personal notices that appeared in these columns helped the community to remain intimate. A new column concerning Culver High School related the planned activities and reports of recent adventures and sports news to readers. The “Citizen Bazaar” was an early classified's section. By the mid-1940s the paper had grown to twelve pages, but column space had shrunk to five columns from seven earlier in the 1930s. Finally under his tenure the paper became a 16-page tabloid with seven 22-inch columns on the page and had won state and national prizes for reporting and editorials.

Another sayas that: The present "Citizen" was changed to a 16-page tabloid, October 18, 1933, from eight 22-inch pages, seven columns to the page, each column 20 inches in length. This was quite a daring change, but it marked a definite step forward, in keeping with the times. The "Citizen" was a pioneer among small-town weeklies in this sort of venture. Time has proven its success.

Miles R. Robinson and some point in the history of the Argos Reflector which was established in 1881 was either owner and publisher. As evidence by the articles below:

CULVER EDITOR BUYS THE ARGOS REFLECTOR Mills Robinson, editor of the Culver Citizen, purchased the Argos Reflector Friday from Mrs. Cora Wikizer. He will take possession March 1, 1939.

The newspaper will be edited in Argos and printed in Culver, according to announced plans for the publication.
News-Sentinel, Monday, December 19, 1938

ARGOS REFLECTOR SOLD An announcement was made at Argos that the Argos Reflector has been sold by Mr. M. Robinson, of Culver, to Mrs. N. D. Thompson, of Argos, who took charge October 12. Mrs. Thompson will edit the paper and it will be printed in the office of the Culver Citizen as it has been since Mr. Robinson bought the business three and a half years ago from Mrs. John M. Wickizer. Mr. Robinson is the editor of the Culver Citizen - The News-Sentinel, Friday, October 16, 1942

In late 1945 or early 1946 the M. R. Robinson built new quarters for the Culver Citizen at 200 East Washington street, the building was erected by the James I Barnes Construction Company under the supervisdon of Russell I. Barnes, manage. The electrical lighting was engineered by James E. Tally. The building is 60 by 90 feet with streets on three sides.

The prodigious and nerve-racking job of moving starting May 8, 1946, with completion four days later.

Feb 1949



Miles R. Robinson sold the Citizen to Major Charles Maull, Jr. [now colonel] who owned the paper into the early 1950s. Maull employed Robert Rust as editor in 1949. In. May 1950, Robert Rust with his wife Bertha May leased the paper from Maull and served as editor and publisher.

Robert and Bertha May Rust also became the editor-publisher of the Argos Reflector in 1951, it in 1953.

Robert Rust was a native of Columbus, Bartholomew, Indiana and began his career as a teacher of history and journalism at Culver High School in 1931 till 1939. At that time he became public relations director, supervisor, publication editor alumnus, Culver Military Academy. In 1953 the Rusts' established their own public relations business serving area public relations and advertising accounts, 1970-1981. Besides returning to his former post at the Academy from September 1953-1958, then was principal of West township Schools 1958-1964, Assistant Superintendent of Plymouth Community Schools 1964-1966, and Superintendent of Culver Community Schools 1966-1971.

16 Jun 1953
Charles Maull Jr. sold the Culver Citizen Press, a commercial printing firm and publisher of the weekly newspaper, Culver Citizen. to Chester W. "Chet" Cleveland, first issue was 17 Jun 2953 and who presided over its pages until his death in 1961.

The firm's name was soon changed to the Culver Press, Incorporated, to better reflect its dependence on commercial printing.


In 1957 Charles W. Cleveland founded Indiana Business Magazine.


Chester W. "Chet" Cleveland
Under Cleveland the journal regularly numbered sixteen pages and was published every Wednesday. The paper's purpose was to serve "the interests of nearly 20 communities in Marshall, Starke, Fulton, and Pulaski Counties". Cleveland changed the name of the “Citizen Bazaar” to the “Classified's.; Personal news continued to dominate the paper, and whole columns were devoted to personal happenings from towns across the four counties mentioned previously. As in every decade, advertising space reflected the passions of the time. In one issue in 1953 almost an entire page was devoted to current movies and where one could watch a show.

In 1955 John A. Cleveland, moved to Culver, Marshall, Indiana to assist his father in the operation of the Culver Press, Inc.


John A. Cleveland
The Cleveland's Culver Press Inc. published the paper until it became a part of the Indiana Press of Plymouth, Marshall, Indiana in 1967.

After Cleveland died in 1961, his son, John A. became president of Culver Press, Inc. and publisher of Indiana Business Magazine. In 1967 the weekly Culver Citizen was sold and the Culver Press, Inc. was relocated in Plymouth, Marshall, Indiana in the new industrial plant as Indiana Press, Inc. The last issue - listed the employees of the Culver Citzien and prices:


Exactly 41 years to the day that Miles R. Robinson acquired the paper it was sold to the Independent News Company of Walkerton, St. Joseph, Indiana, which controlled the paper for six years.

Nov. 1967 The Thursday issue on 9 November 1967 proclaimed: "The Culver Citizen is sold to Walkerton based printing Firm". It also proclaimed the employees and the prices of the newspaper -



Robert Urbin
The Citizen offices were to relocate to 105 S. Main Street Culver.

The the late 1960s and 1970s proved a tumultuous time both in America and in the history of the ownership of the Citizen and the look of the Citizen changed slightly. The length of the paper varied. In the late 1960s the paper numbered ten pages, but by the early 1970s it had been cut by two pages. And the days it was published were changed with the different ownerships.

The Culver Citizen was sold to Walter L. Thompson, who held onto the paper for only six months before Robert D. Hansen acquired it.

Hansen continued as proprietor for three years before selling it.

1973 The Culver Citizens Corporation brought the paper’s plant back to Culver in 1973, only to sell it in 1974. Robert E. Urbin who was publisher for the Independent News Company and assumed editorship of the Culver Citizen. These were hard times for the Citizen - as it was often only a smeared four-page tabloid.

In August 1973 the Culver Citizen Corporation adopted the block format, in which stories are in paragraph style rather than running the length of the page in a single column. While the Independent News Company ran the journal, personal notices, other than weddings a and obituaries, were not published. In 1973 the “Locals” column reappeared, only to disappear again before the paper ceased publication.

May 1974

It was sold in 1974 to the Wabash Plain Dealer Company In May of 1974.


Thomas "Tom" Zoss
Thomas W. Zoss "Tom" and wife Bernadette Zoss assumed control and the Culver Citizen got a new lease on life. They acquired new computerized equipment, increased circulation, added a clean new image, new features of which one was "Lakewater" or "It must be Lake Water" by Robert "Bob" Kyle [who had been a newswriter for the Indianapolis Star. John Houghton wrote a column "I Remember".

October 1974 Nixon Newspapers acquired ...the Culver (Ind.) Citizen... were acquired in October 1974
.
The Nixon Newspaper Inc. maintained the high quality of the Culver Citizen until the temporary end.

A brief history of the Nixon Newspaper Inc.:
The Nixon Newspapers Inc. was founded by Don Morrison Nixon

Don Morrison Nixon
His widow in 1934 after his un-timely death at age 54. He had the founded the Terre Haute Saturday Spectator with John C. Rutherford in 1904. And at his death he had acquired seven newspapers. He could best be described in one word: crusader. Throughout his 40-year journalistic career, Don Nixon battled political corruption and special interests detrimental to the public good.

Joseph Henry Nixon and his step-mother Eugenia Hubbard Nixon carried it on the newspaper business.

Joseph Henry Nixon was retired vice-president in 1989 and the company was in Peru, Miami, Indiana under President John Nixon.

A listing and micro film copies are found at the Indiana State Library web site as follows:

CULVER City Herald 1896 - 1903 May 1896 to Apr 1903
CULVER Citizen 1903 - 1920 May 1903 to Nov 1920
CULVER Citizen 1922 - 1969 Mar 1922 to 1969
CULVER Citizen 1972 - 1974 1972 to Dec. 18, 1974

1976 Publication ceases


Mike Clifton
Mike Clifton was editor and as of 13 October 1976 Jeri Jayne was editor and the newsstand issue price was twenty cents.


Jerri Jayne
The Wednesday, 29 December 1976 issue of the Culver Citizen was to be the last, as the publishers announced the demise of the paper after 82 years of publication.

The Culver news for the next two years was carried by the weekly TV Plus, sister publication.

March 1978

Arlene J. Nix
In Novemeber of 1977 The Tribune-News Company of South Whitley, Indiana contacted the previous owners about the possiblity of purchashing the rights tot he paper and the subscription list to the defunct weekly Culver Citizen, an agrrement was reached and in January 1978 Arlene Nix who had been with the paper previously secured office space at Hansens Resturant and Sport Shop on Lakeshore Drive.

The Culver Citizen Office opened officially on February 28^th

On 2 March 1978 the Culver Citizen resumed publication under the ownership of the Tribune-News Company. Arlene Nix became the editor. Cost of a news stand issue was fifteen cents! J. David Tranter was the new owner and publisher and revived the operation.


David J. Tranter
He also published the Argos newspaper as found in the History of Marshall County 1ndiana Sescquicentennial 1836-1986 (1986) pg. 9:

Argos has been without a local newspaper since December 29, 1983 when the Agros Tribune ceased publication because of low circulation. A succussor to the Argos Reflector which was established in 1881, the Tribune was formed by J. David Tranter and its first issue appeared on August 18, 1979. In July of 1982, the paper had been purchased by William Mitchell who had made the decision to cease the publication.

and shared news stories of the two communities in each paper. J. David Tranter, revived the operation and continued to run the weekly for a decade.

July 1982

William "Bill" Mitchell
By this time the Culver Citizen and moved to quarters on at 106 N. North Main Street until at least 1987. Tranter sold the renewed publication to William "Bill" Mitchell of Milford, Illinois, and he moved his family to Culver to take over publication of the Culver Citizen.

During this time Bill Mitchel wrote a editorial colum called "Bill's Ballyhoo".

In between Tom Zoss had purchased or was the editor of the Culver Citizen and it was housed at 110 S. Main St.

Later Miller (Esther Powers Wampler Miller) sold the house at 307 N. Main. Someone else states that Tom Zoss while he was editor of the paper c. 1987/1988/1989 and that Zoss used the basement to layout the newspaper in wood frames.

October 1989
Frederick and Judy Karst took ownership of the newspaper which was still housed at 110 S. Main St. Frederick Karst was the publisher and Judy Karst was the editor and in Oct. 1991 they moved it accros the street and remained there probably until they sold it in 1998. They updated the look and style of the paper for the new decade to come. Fred Karst was publisher and Judy Karst was editor. They expanded their publication duties in the summer of 1991 to include the Marshall County Life, which proved to be short-lived. Below is a picture of probably the combined papers staff and probably reviewing the first issue of it.

During the time period Harvey Farari wrote an occasional column for the paper on a weekly basis.


Pictured left to right are: (front row seated) [-?-], [-?- Boys], Fred Karst and Harry Mc Farland; (back row standing) [-?-], possibly Judy Campbell, [-?-], [-?-] and Judy Karst. The picture was probably taken at the Cizien office at 107 S. Main St. Culver.

They won several awards in state and regional journalism for their reporting in the pages of the paper.

May 1998 -2003

In May 1998 the Karsts sold the Citizen to Community Newspapers, Inc., a holding company for several area newspapers, including the Plymouth Pilot and the Knox Leader. Maggie Nixon served as the paper's editor in 1998.

2003-_ In 2003 The ownership of the paper changed to Community Newspaper Holdings to Horizon Publications.

It is a part of the Plymouth Pilot News owned by Horizon Publications Inc. Horizon Publications was formed in 1999 as a community newspaper company with the objective to acquire and operate community publications in the U.S. and Canada.
The present editor of the Culver Citizen is Kelly Masson.

The officials as of 4 January 2007 are: Rick Kreps, Publisher; Jerry L. Bingle, General Manager; Maggie Nixon, Managing Editor; Deanna L. Grenert, Citizen Editor; Ron Haramia, Sports Editor; Greg Hildebrand, Production/IT Manager; Cindy Stockton, Marketing Manager; and James Radican Circulation Manager.

Todays news stand price is 50 cents per copy; and mail rates are $21 for Indiana and $26 for out-of-state.