The Gazette

The Poultney Gazette was the first newspaper to be published in this town, its first edition appearing October 28, 1822. Its publishers were Smith & Shute, young men, and practical printers. The plant from which the Gazette was issued was in East Poultney, and in the Gazette was a department devoted to missions and called the "Missionary Herald," occupying one complete page. The file of the Gazette for nearly a full year is in the Journal office, having been handed down to us. Young Smith was a son of Rev. Ethan Smith, at the time pastor of the Congregational church in the east village. In the first week of January, 1825, the name of the paper appears as the Northern Spectator, and Messrs, Smith & Shute continued its publication for just one year, the following valedictory appearing in the issue of December 281h of that year:

"It is now something more than three years since we first introduced ourselves to the public as the editors and publishers of a weekly journal. We commenced with high hopes of success: with prospects bright and flattering. These hopes have been partially realized. They would have been fully realized had our subscribers, generally, been as willing to reward us for our toil as we were anxious to render ourselves worthy of such reward."