The Albany News: 150 Years on the Frontier
Today marks the 150th anniversary of The Albany News—a milestone few newspapers, especially in small towns, have the privilege of reaching. For a century and a half, this paper has chronicled the lives, stories, struggles, and celebrations of Albany and Shackelford County. As editor, it’s humbling to stand on the shoulders of the many individuals who have shaped this publication across generations: the printers who set the type by hand, the editors who told the story of their communities through ink and paper, and the countless reporters and contributors who preserved the voices of our town.
The story of The Albany News, shared in the article below, was written by longtime publisher Donnie Lucas and is featured in the new book Prairie Land Legacy. Donnie’s account traces the remarkable journey of this newspaper—from its earliest beginnings on the Texas frontier to its enduring role as a pillar of local journalism.
As we celebrate this 150th anniversary, we not only honor the past but look ahead to the future. The mission of The Albany News remains the same as it was in 1875: to inform, connect, and serve the people on this frontier. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help carry this legacy forward, and I thank our readers for continuing to make The Albany News part of their lives.
-David H. Waller, Editor
By Donnie Lucas
The Albany News has carried under its masthead the line “Oldest Journalistic Venture West of the Brazos” over 100 years. This phrase was originated by the unique and fiesty editor of The Albany News in the early 1900s, Col. Richard H. McCarty.
Beginnings in Jacksboro and Fort Griffin
The News’ history goes back to Jacksboro, when Chandler & McConnell, who had previously published papers in that Army garrison city, started the Frontier Echo in 1875.
A “spunky” little man, Capt. George W. Robson, who served as captain, Co. A, Illinois Infantry in the Union Army during the Civil War, took over the publication Oct. 9, 1875. He published the newspaper there until Fort Richardson was abandoned by the Army, when he moved the equipment to Fort Griffin, a thriving fort community in what was to become Shackelford County. He issued the first Fort Griffin Echo on Feb. 22, 1879. An old-time printer, S.F. Cook, later owner of The Albany News, worked for Robson.
Early Newspapers in
Albany
Albany, county seat of Shackelford County, began to grow with prospects of the railroad coming. An attorney by the name of Edgar Rye started the Albany Tomahawk in June 1881. In the early 1880s, two other papers served Albany – the Western Sun and the Albany Star, published by J.C. Son.
With the decline of Fort Griffin after the fort was abandoned, Robson moved the Echo to Albany, publishing the first Albany Echo at his office on Walnut Street, Jan. 6, 1882.
Edgar Rye in 1884 combined the Albany papers and called the publication The Albany Weekly News.
Ownership Changes in the Early 1900s
S.F. Cook, the pioneer printer, took over about 1900, and changed the name to The Albany News.
Cook sold the News to Richard H. McCarty just after the turn of the century. “Colonel Dick,” country attorney here, was trying a case in the Shackelford County courthouse, when the jury declared the defendant innocent. This enraged the fiery Spanish-American war veteran, and he said years later, “I walked out of the courthouse, crossed the street, and bought out The Albany News, lock, stock and barrel.” McCarty published the News a few years and sold it to Paul Baker, head of Reynolds Academy.
Colonel Dick returned to Albany during World War II after stints in Cisco, Putnam and Aspermont. He gained a nationwide reputation during the 1920s with his unique editorials and served the Texas Press Association as its secretary for many years.
Due to his health, McCarty leased the News to Thomas Durham in the early 1930s and then to Chas. A. Fryar, who was publisher until Jan. 1, 1939.
John McGaughey bought the News that year, and was publisher for 34 years, until selling the newspaper to James Lenamon in 1973.
The Lucas Era
Lenamon owned the News until April 1, 1977, selling the paper to Donnie A. Lucas, a local journalism and English teacher, and Melinda Viertel Lucas, who had begun working for Lenamon in January 1977. The new owners were both graduates of Angelo State University in 1976 with B.A. degrees in journalism.
The News continued to publish articles and columns by local writer Elsa Turner and Moran correspondent Audrey Brooks, followed by journalists Carol Webb Dromgoole, Katherine Stapp, and others. Notable columnists and contributors during the past 49 years under the Lucases’ ownership include Pat Lydia Jones, Robert (Bob) Green, Joan Farmer, Shirley Caldwell, Bobbie Cauble, and Larry Bell.
The Albany News files, which have been preserved since 1875, are probably the most valuable files in the West. Literally hundreds of college students have perused the files for their theses, and material from the pages of the pioneer publication have been used in books about West Texas history. Among authors who spent weeks in Albany examining the files are J.W. Williams of Wichita Falls, Carl Coke Rister, late head of the history department at Texas Tech, and Chas. Linck of East Texas State University.
The files of The Albany News and its predecessors are preserved in bound volumes and on microfilm and are housed at the Old Jail Center in Albany. The files can also be found at the website “Portals of Texas” sponsored by the University of North Texas in Denton. In addition, bound volumes of the last 50 years are available at the Shackelford County Library and Albany High School library.
In November 2024, The Albany News entered a new chapter as David and Courtney Waller became the owners, purchasing the newspaper from longtime publishers Donnie and Melinda Lucas. Building on the foundation established over the past five decades, the Wallers are committed to preserving the paper’s legacy while continuing to serve Albany and Shackelford County for years to come.
