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The Chillicothe Gazette, originally called Freeman’s Journal and Chillicothe Advertiser, began publication on April 25, 1800. It is the oldest continuously operating newspaper west of the Alleghenies and the second oldest in the United States. Its first publisher and editor Nathaniel Willis was a Boston printer who supposedly apprenticed under Benjamin Franklin. He used the paper to advocate for westward expansion. The Gazette kept up with the times by reporting news transmitted by telegraph in 1847 and by publishing daily starting in 1849. In 1941, the Chillicothe Gazette moved into a replica of Ohio’s first statehouse.

The replica of Ohio's first statehouse, built on a 150% scale.

The replica of Ohio's first statehouse, built on a 150% scale.

A marker on the front of the building.

A marker on the front of the building.

An illustration of the original statehouse, which was torn down in 1852 to make way for the present courthouse.

An illustration of the original statehouse, which was torn down in 1852 to make way for the present courthouse.
The Chillicothe Gazette. Remarkable Ohio. Accessed July 20, 2018. http://www.remarkableohio.org/index.php?/category/1283.

Fischer, Jr., William. A Replica of Ohio's First Capitol. The Historical Marker Database. December 21, 2008. Accessed July 20, 2018. https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=14650. Photo source.

Historical Markers. Chillicothe Info. Accessed July 20, 2018. http://www.chillicotheinfo.net/historical-markers.html.